Homemade Chicken Stock ...and Soup

Photo Credit: I Believe I Can Fry via Compfight cc

What can be better on a cold winter day than some yummy hot chicken soup?  It's even better when you are saving some money and not wasting food.

So, you've eaten well from that tasty rotisserie chicken.  Having had chicken the first day, you've now pulled the remaining meat from the bone to use with other dishes.  Yes, there are some bits of meat still stuck to the bones as well as the roasted skin, etc.  Time to toss the remains into the rubbish bin?  NO!  Now it's time to make chicken stock!

• Leftover rotisserie chicken
• 1 onion
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots

Put the remaining bits of your rotisserie chicken in a large stock pot.  Cover the chicken with water and place on the stove.

Add an onion cut into quarters, some black pepper, salt, celery, and carrots.

Bring to a boil and then allow to simmer on low for an hour or two.  The simmering will cook the fat and flavor of the chicken into the water.

Place a colander in a pot.  Pour the chicken stock into the pot.  You may need to stop several times and transfer the stock to large containers for freezing.  Once you've strained the chicken and vegetables from the stock, discard them.  Some people also allow the stock to cool and remove any chicken fat that congeals on the top of the stock.  I find the fat adds a lot of the flavor and keep it.  Now you should have 3-4 quart containers of homemade chicken stock for later recipes....including:

Homemade Chicken Soup

Often I find the best part of my rotisserie chicken meals is the chicken soup.  You can experiment to find what you like best.

• Homemade chicken stock

I often just use the stock as a simple soup.  You can experiment and dress it up with a variety of ingredients:

• Cooked noodles
• Finger carrots and cabbage boiled in the stock (or leftovers added to the soup)
• Thinly sliced mushrooms and green onion

DIETS:
Diabetic:  yes
Gluten Free:  yes
Mediterranean:  yes
Nightshade Family Free:  yes* (leave the red pepper out of the Gorgonzola Cream Sauce)
Paleo:  yes
SugarBusters:  yes
Sugar Free:  yes
Vegan:  no
Vegetarian:  no
Wheat Free:  yes
200 Calories or Under:  yes

Notice:  Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you.  Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post.  Some calories are estimates based on packaging.