I went to dinner over at Albert and Joe's house last week and Joe made a succulent chicken called Chicken In Milk by Jamie Oliver. We were all curious how this would turn out as the name of the recipe sounded a bit unconventional when it comes to chicken roasting. It was divine! We cleaned the chicken up with no problems!
I asked them if I could have the carcass as I always ask for a carcass or bone for soup or whatever. They gave it to me of course! I threw it into my freezer for a later day. Well, today I was out and about shopping for clothes in an outside mall and it started raining. Down pour! Then in switched to freezing rain. So needless to say I was a bit chilled when I got home, and when I was figuring out what to have for dinner...soup came to mind.
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
(serves 1-2)
1 chicken carcass (any leftover will do, those store-bought rotisserie chickens are perfect, just be sure not to pick it clean)
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 T minced garlic
1 t fresh thyme, remove stems
1 cup pasta (preferably small, soup friendly size)
Throw the carcass in a large and heavy pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling lower heat to medium and simmer for...oh...half an hour. Pull out carcass and put on a shallow bowl or plate. Let cool till you can handle it comfortably with your hands. Keep the chicken stock simmering. Once carcass is cool pick off as much meat as you can. I pull off everything, neck included. Be careful to not get any little bones in with the meat. Remove stock from heat and strain and return to pan. Bring to a boil and add onions, garlic, chicken meat, and pasta. Cook until pasta is tender and enjoy.
The stock will become richer as you simmer it longer. As Alton Brown likes to coin good stock as having an unctuous mouth feel to it.
This soup was wonderful as it had the subtle flavorings from the original dish. I tasted slight cinnamon, cloves, garlic, and sage. It was very nice, but it will be just as good with any leftover chicken. So, next time you cook a chicken or tear into a store-bought rotisserie chicken, don't throw the bones away. Make soup! It's really very easy and tastes so much better than getting your can opener out. I know, too much work. Not really and the reward is well worth the minor effort.
