As the year opened I closed the door on a huge part of my life for the past 12 years.  I said goodbye to a job and a kitchen I gave my heart to, to friends that have the same battle scars as I, to hallways that I have hurried back and forth countless times and to an experience I would never trade.   So many memories, laughs and tears- My love for cooking and catering proved limitless in that old building.  So in the last few weeks, as I transitioned into my new role at Park Events I thought a long way back about my times at the Contemporary.   There certainly are a lot of good memories, I will miss that family but am happy to be welcomed into a new family and onto a new adventure.

Upon my trip down memory lane, I recalled one of my favorite family meals- one that exemplified a “Family Meal” in a kitchen.  There are a few dishes that each of us shared frequently when it was our turn to cook for the kitchen, this one coworker had two of my favorites- Strawberry Cinnamon Milkshakes and Garlic Chicken Potato Soup.  Jose would make this soup every time that one of us walked into work with a sniffle or a cough- it was the “Ultimate Cold Remedy”.   Though Jose left many years ago, his Milkshakes and Garlic Chicken Soup lived on! 

With or without a cold, this soup will lead you to a second cup and a clear sinus, “Extreme Mom’s Chicken Soup”!!

Ingredients

• 4 ½ lb whole chicken, broken down
• 12 cups cold water
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, cut in thirds
• 3 celery stalks, cut in 2 in pieces
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. whole peppercorn
• 1 spring rosemary
• 2 tbsp. sliced garlic
• 3 large baking potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 2 tbsp. slice garlic
  

  Chicken Soup Mise En Place

   

 

Method

First make sure chicken is cut into equal size pieces, cut the breast into three pieces and the thigh into two.  You can either buy a whole chicken and break it down yourself or buy one already broken down into 8 pieces.  Either way cut the breast and the thighs further, so they cook evenly. 

Put the chicken into a large stock pot, along with the water, vegetable, spices and the first 2 tablespoons of garlic and simmer for about 25 minutes.  Turn off the heat and remove all the chicken from the pot.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the skin and bones and return the skin and bones to the pot.  Continue to simmer stock about 4 hours.  Cut chicken meat into ½ inch pieces and refrigerate.   Strain the stock and return it to the pot, bring it back to a slow simmer and carefully skim fat off of the surface with a ladle. 

Peel and dice the potatoes into ½ cubes, and add to the pot along with remaining garlic.  Bring the stock back to a low simmer and cook potatoes until they are tender, about 20 minutes.  Add reserved cooked chicken and return the soup to a simmer.  Add salt and pepper to taste and you are ready serve. 

Yield is 1 gallon, about 16 servings.

Soups on!