Chicken Broth, Chicken Soup...You decide!

Sometimes we just need a gentle reminder of the basics. Making chicken broth is easy and economical and you get a bonus...cooked chicken for salad, tacos, casseroles, enchiladas, etc.

Yield 8 cups of chicken broth and 2 pounds of cooked chicken

Ingredients

4 1/2 to 5 pounds (about 6) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 carrots, quartered crosswise
2 celery, quartered crosswise
2 dried bay leaves
4-5 black peppercorns
3 garlic cloves
6 sprigs parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon granules or 1 large Knorr's cube

Do not add in any salt to the water.

Instructions

Place breasts in stock pot and pour water over the breasts to cover by about 1-1/2 to 2 inches.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a boil then quickly reduce the heat to low so that the water is only at a bare simmer (do not boil fast it will toughen the chicken).

Simmer partially covered for 10 minutes only (important).

Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to sit in the water for 15-20 minutes (15 minutes for regular-size breasts and 20 minutes for large breasts). If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature of the chicken should be 160 degrees at the meatiest part of the breasts.

Transfer breasts to a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer and let cool.

At this point, you can cook the broth more to concentrate the flavors and serve as chicken soup.

Remove vegetables from pot. Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter or moist paper towels. Measure broth and if you have more than 8 cups, return to pot and reduce on medium heat till you have approximately 8 cups. Cool and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and cube or shred for your desired usage. You should have around 2 pounds of chicken. The cooked chicken can be frozen for ups to 3 months.

NOTE: You can use a whole chicken instead of the breasts, but you will need to increase the cooking time from 15 minutes to 30 minutes and the soak time to 30 minutes. Check the temp in the thigh. It needs to be 160 degrees.

Dionicia's Famous Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is simply the BEST of the BEST!! The recipe comes from Ernesto's Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. If you find a better recipe, I sure would like to know about it.

1¼ hours | 15 min prep

SERVES 8

* 12 roma tomatoes, whole
* 3 teaspoons oregano (Mexican if you have it)
* 10 garlic cloves
* 5 bay leaves
* 2 teaspoons cumin seeds (can substitute ground)
* 2 teaspoons marjoram
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 6 large peppercorns
* 3 teaspoons peppercorns, small
* 1 tablespoon oil
* 1/4 cup onion
* 4 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
* 8 pieces chicken
* 8 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
* 2 avocados
* 4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Boil tomatoes 10 minutes.
2. Place tomatoes and next 8 ingredients in blender and blend for 4 minutes.
3. Saute onion in oil and add blender contents by pouring through a mesh strainer.
4. Add one quart of water to strainer and swirl.
5. Put leftover ingredients from strainer in 1/2 cup of water, blend well and strain into pot.
6. Add one more quart of water.
7. Add chicken bouillon and chicken pieces and boil until chicken is cooked.
8. Fry tortilla strips in oil until crispy.
9. Heat 8-10 oz. of stock for each serving. Place one piece of chicken in stock to heat and then debone.
10. Fill bowl with a handful of chips, 3-4 avocado slices, meat of one piece of chicken, cover with mozzarella cheese.
11. Pour boiling broth over ingredients in bowl and serve.

Watermelon & Cucumber Gazpacho with Blackberry Jalapeño Pico

Recipe by Chef Benjamin Cadmus, Executive Chef for the U.S. Senate

5 Cups Chopped Seedless Watermelon
1 Medium Cucumber, Peeled & Seeded
1/2 Cup Orange Juice without Pulp
1 Ounce Olive Oil
1 Shot Texas Pete Hot Sauce
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt & White Pepper to Taste
1 Ounce Honey

Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high speed until uniform. Then cover and refrigerate for an hour.

1 Pint Blackberries
1 Jalapeño, Seeded & Sliced on a Bias
1/2 Bunch Mint, Picked
2 Scallions, Cut Thinly on a Bias, Both White & Green Parts
12 Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved
12 Yellow Grape Tomatoes, Halved
1/4 Red Onion, Small Dice
Juice of 1 Lime
1/2 Ounce Olive Oil
Salt to Taste

Gently toss ingredients together and spoon in the middle of bowl. Then pour soup mixture around it in bowl.

Cilantro Soup

Here's one for all you fellow cilantro nuts like me. I just love the stuff. When I go to a Mexican restaurant, I order a small cup of cilantro on the side. I put it on everything. I even like it on sandwiches. Also, for the vegetarians out there, you can swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and it will still be excellent.

• 2 Cups Italian Zucchini, diced (chayote squash can be substituted)
  
• Sea Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 3 Each Corn Tortillas, julienned
• 3/4 Cup White Onion, minced
• 14 Ounces Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 3 Cups Fresh Cilantro Leaves, tightly packed
• 6 Cups Chicken Stock *
  
• 2 Each Jalapeno Chile Peppers, halved and seeded *
  
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground White Pepper
• 8 Ounces Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Sour Cream, thinned with milk

1. Place the zucchini in a saucepan, cover with water, salt to taste, and cook over medium-high heat about 8-10 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. In a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and fry the tortilla strips until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on absorbent paper.
3. Add the onion and garlic to the same pot and saute until transparent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until the mixture is thickened, another 5 minutes.
4. Blend the cilantro and cooked squash with 3 cups stock, leaving a little texture. When the tomatoes are cooked, stir the cilantro and squash into the pot and add the jalapenos. Dissolve the cornstarch with 1/4 cup stock, stir into the soup, and pour the remaining broth into the pot. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the white pepper and additional salt if needed.
5. Before serving, remove the jalapenos. Place the cheese on the bottom of each bowl, ladle on the soup, and top with a teaspoon of the thinned sour cream and 3 or 4 tortilla strips.

The subtle flavor of cilantro both cools and complements a dish made with chiles, so it nicely prepares the palate for the explosion of tastes in a spiced up main course.

*RESOURCES:
Dried Jalapeno peppers and commercial chicken stock will be available soon at FoodieAffair.com Also, fresh frozen cilantro is available for you to have on hand all the time, just not for this recipe. You really need the fresh for this one.

Ultra Quick: Cream of Tomato Soup

Here is an ultra quick soup you can get on the table in 15-20 minutes with ingredients you probably have on hand.

Serves 2

1 tablespoon fresh basil *
1 teaspoon fresh oregano *
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme *
1 tablespoon butter
1 small jar of your favorite pasta sauce
2 cups of water
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream ** (substitute below)
a pinch of nutmeg

Saute fresh herbs in butter; add small jar of pasta sauce; 2 cups of water; 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream; and a pinch of nutmeg. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

* If fresh herbs are not available, substitute dried herbs by using 1/2 the amounts indicated for fresh. Do not saute the dried. Simply add them to the soup mix. The tablespoon of butter indicated in the recipe to saute the fresh herbs can be eliminated or can be added to the soup at serving time for added richness.
** Heavy Whipping Cream Substitute: Add 1/4 cup of melted butter to 1/2 cup of whole milk. By the way, this substitute cannot be whipped. It can only be used in cooked foods.