The recipe says to reduce/thicken the soup before you add the cooked chicken
(note: "set chicken aside, though it says to heat remaining oil in the same
pan---presumably to use the flavor of the cooked chicken glaze)
Since it uses flour as a kind of thickener in the soup base, I would
increase the flour with an equal part of butter (a roux cooked up seperately
before adding to the soup base) if you want it especially thick.

The recipe instructs -

Heat half of the oil in large saucepan; cook chicken until cooked through.
When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into small pieces. Set aside.<<<<
THEY MEAN "aside" OUT OF THE PAN JUST USED TO COOK CHICKEN

Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook onion, stirring, until soft. Add flour;
cook, stirring, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Gradually stir in stock
and juice; cook, stirring until mixture boils and thickens slightly.<<<
BEFORE THE NEXT STEP.....

Add chicken, corn and chilli; stir over heat until soup is hot. Just before
serving, sprinkle with coriander

"Greg" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
> I made this recipe:
> http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/aww/recipe...TV/63/6358.asp
> and it tasted great, however, I wasn't sure how long I could safely boil
it.
> The recipe
> says to boil it until it "slightly thickens" - I don't think it became
> noticably thicker
> when I boiled it. I was concerned about overcooking the chicken, which was
> already
> cooked.

"zuuum" > wrote in message
...
> The recipe says to reduce/thicken the soup before you add the cooked
chicken
> (note: "set chicken aside, though it says to heat remaining oil in the
same
> pan---presumably to use the flavor of the cooked chicken glaze)

Thanks - yes, you're right, and I *did* boil it without the chicken in the
broth, come to think of it. Doh!
So, without the chicken, I could pretty much boil it for as long as I liked,
waiting for it
to thicken? (I didn't boil it for very long - only a couple of minutes)

Thanks for the suggestion the flour and the butter.
(thank also to august who suggested using the eggs)

Greg.

> Since it uses flour as a kind of thickener in the soup base, I would
> increase the flour with an equal part of butter (a roux cooked up
seperately
> before adding to the soup base) if you want it especially thick.
>
> The recipe instructs -
>
> Heat half of the oil in large saucepan; cook chicken until cooked through.
> When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into small pieces. Set
aside.<<<<
> THEY MEAN "aside" OUT OF THE PAN JUST USED TO COOK CHICKEN
>
> Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook onion, stirring, until soft. Add
flour;
> cook, stirring, until mixture bubbles and thickens. Gradually stir in
stock
> and juice; cook, stirring until mixture boils and thickens slightly.<<<
> BEFORE THE NEXT STEP.....
>
> Add chicken, corn and chilli; stir over heat until soup is hot. Just
before
> serving, sprinkle with coriander
>
> "Greg" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hi,
> > I made this recipe:
> > http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/aww/recipe...TV/63/6358.asp
> > and it tasted great, however, I wasn't sure how long I could safely boil
> it.
> > The recipe
> > says to boil it until it "slightly thickens" - I don't think it became
> > noticably thicker
> > when I boiled it. I was concerned about overcooking the chicken, which
was
> > already
> > cooked.
>
>

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 17:47:23 +1000, "Greg"
> wrote:

>"zuuum" > wrote

>> The recipe says to reduce/thicken the soup before you add the cooked
>chicken

>Thanks - yes, you're right, and I *did* boil it without the chicken in the
>broth, come to think of it. Doh!
>So, without the chicken, I could pretty much boil it for as long as I liked,
>waiting for it
>to thicken?

The reaction of roux (the fat and flour) and liquid to thicken soups
and sauces happens fairly rapidly. Cook the roux; add liquid; heat
back up, stirring, 'til you notice the liquid becoming thicker. Once
that's happened -- in a minute or 2 -- the only further thickening
that will happen will be the result of evaporation of the liquid. That
is, it doesn't get thicker and thicker the longer you boil it.

Given that the recipe is for soup, not gravy, and there was 1Tblsp of
flour to 8 cups of liquid, the 'thickening' will be slight.

>"Greg" asks:
>
>I made this recipe:
>http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/aww/recipe...TV/63/6358.asp
>and it tasted great, however, I wasn't sure how long I could safely boil it.
>The recipe
>says to boil it until it "slightly thickens" - I don't think it became
>noticably thicker
>when I boiled it. I was concerned about overcooking the chicken, which was
>already
>cooked. Anyone have a rough idea how long this soup could, or should be,
>boiled?

Soup shouldn't be permitted to boil at all... at the most cook soups barely
asimmer... no more than an occasional tiny bubble breaking the surface.

Soup viscosity is subjective, you want thicker use more thickening, in this
case flour. Add thickener off heat, reheat slowly, *stir*, no boiling.



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---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
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````````````

"Greg" > wrote in
:

> Hi,
> I made this recipe:
> http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/aww/recipe...TV/63/6358.asp
> and it tasted great, however, I wasn't sure how long I could safely
> boil it. The recipe
> says to boil it until it "slightly thickens" - I don't think it became
> noticably thicker
> when I boiled it. I was concerned about overcooking the chicken, which
> was already
> cooked. Anyone have a rough idea how long this soup could, or should
> be, boiled?
>
> Greg. (not a chef ;^)
>
>

This recipe will make about 3 to 3.5 litres of soup or more, it looks like.
And the recipe calls for just 1 TBsp of flour to thicken...seems on the
light side to me, for close to a gallon of soup. Would barely be enough to
colour the broth.

Usually bringing the flour to a boil is enough to make it thicken.

You could add another tbsp of flour to help things along or some instant
potatoes... say a handful. Or 1 tbsp of either corn starch/flour, arrowroot
(other known thickeners). Do not go mad...just try 1 additional tablespoon
of thickener. And bring it back to a boil for say 30 seconds, while
stiring.

Perhaps you didn't stir enough and you have a clump(s) of flour floating in
your soup? Best method is to add flour to a small amount of cold/cool water
or stock in a jar put the lid on and shake to mix the flour with the
liquid...so no lumps.

Or you could just eat the stuff. Looks like it would be tasty thick or
thin.

What they mean by slightly thickened is it will coat the back of a spoon.



--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.