Tips for Leftover Chicken Soup

Since its just the two of us, Adam and I almost always have leftovers.  We used to be so terrible about using them up, but are getting better and actually have found that sometimes what you make with the leftovers turn out to be tastier than the original meal anyway.  Here are some tips for great leftover chicken soup.

• Depending on what you have in stock, create a base using an assortment of onions, garlic, celery and carrots.  Cut the onions, celery and carrots into 1/2 inch dice for a heartier soup.
• As a basic process, saute your base vegetables for about 10 minutes to draw out the natural sugars, then add any dried herbs and seasonings along with the leftover chicken and finally add the chicken stock, I usually add 4 cups and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Add some pasta, rice or uncooked potatoes to the soup for some heartiness, for 4 cups of chicken broth use about 1/2 -  3/4 cups of uncooked rice and pasta and 1 large uncooked potato cut into cubes.  If you are using rice, add it at the same time as the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes.  If you are adding pasta, add it 10 minutes before serving so the pasta does not get overcooked.  For potatoes, add them 5 minutes into sauteing the base vegetables.
  
• Just before you add chicken stock add a mixture of dried herbs for extra depth of flavor, my favorites are to add one bay leaf and about a tablespoon of  herbs de Provence per 4 cups of chicken stock
• Season all layers of the soup with salt and pepper to create a well-seasoned soup.  While sauteing the base vegetables lightly season with salt and pepper, then after adding the chicken broth season to taste, this way the soup will be seasoned not salty.  By adding salt at the beginning of the process, you are able to draw out the natural sweetness of the base vegetables, adding more flavor to the soup.  If you only add salt at the end, it is very easy to find yourself with a salty soup.
  
• If you have it in stock, add one can of diced tomatoes for a richer broth or a can of beans, just make sure you rinse the beans before adding them to the soup.
  
• If you have some to use up, add leftover mashed potatoes to the broth to make a thicker soup.
• For a creamier and luscious soup you could add about 1/4 cup of milk or half and half.  This also rounds out the flavors nicely.

Leftover Chicken Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 carrots

1 medium onion

3 celery stalks

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup leftover chicken

1 tablespoon herds de Provence

1 bay leaf

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 can diced tomatoes

3/4 cup uncooked pasta

salt and pepper

Dice the carrots, onion and celery into 1/2 inch dice.  Add the olive oil and diced vegetables to a large soup pot over medium heat, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper), then saute for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, add the minced garlic then saute for another 5 minutes.

Add the herbs de Provence and chicken to the vegetables then saute for another minute.  Add the bay leaf, chicken stock and tomatoes then bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, then season to taste.

After 10 minutes, add the pasta and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the pasta and vegetables are cooked.

Tagged as: Chicken, leftovers, soup, tips