Homemade Chicken and Vegetable Soup, aka "Whatever Soup"

Are there certain dinnertime dishes you never get tired of? For me, it's roast chicken. I could eat it almost everyday and never get sick of it. And as a result, I make it for dinner about once a week.

In addition to filling the house with its comforting, homey aroma, a simple roast chicken is one of the most economical things you can have in your kitchen. It's the food that keeps on giving. First, there's the roast the night it's cooked, then the leftovers can become chicken salad, and then what hasn't been picked off the bird can be used to make a delicious base for soup.



Yes, you should be using that chicken carcass to make soup stock. So, if you're just throwing it out, STOP! You're missing out on the base for your week's worth of lunches.

Here's how to make a basic soup stock from a chicken carcass:

Place the chicken carcass (any lemon or garlic you might have had in the cavity removed) in a large soup pot. Fill with cold water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let the broth simmer for about two hours.  Add 2 carrots, 1 unpeeled onion sliced in half, and two celery stalks, along with some dried thyme and a bay leaf to the pot and simmer for about 1 hour more. Strain the broth into a bowl, reserving the chicken carcass. You could discard the veggies, but I usually save the cooked carrots and give them to this guy:

He loves them with his dinner.

You  can then freeze that stock and save it for soups, rice, risotto, or just about anything that calls for chicken stock.

Or, you can cook up a pot of chicken soup, using the remaining meat on the chicken carcass and the broth. Which is what I did the other day. Now, because soup is one of my favorite things to eat, I make many kinds of chicken-based soups. You could make the traditional chicken noodle, with carrots and celery and onions and dill, or make a yummy chicken rice soup adding in some mushrooms and rosemary to the celery-carrot-onion melange. But,  I usually just look at what's in my fridge, find whatever veggies are nearing their expiration date, plop them in the boiling broth and see what happens. I call it "Whatever Soup." And I suggest you try it!

Here's my most recent Whatever Soup. I just love the combination of textures and massive amounts of veggies that are in it. Sorry, the pictures are horrendous!



Whatever Soup with Garbanzo Beans and Pasta

Ingredients
Batch of Chicken stock (recipe above)
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 sprig fresh rosemary
pinch of thyme
1 bay leaf
dash of Bonne Appetite seasoning from McCormick
dash of poultry seasoning
2 small zucchini, diced
1/2 a fresh tomato, diced
1 cup frozen or fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked gemelli pasta

Instructions
Bring a large pot of broth to a boil over high heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, and spices and simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste broth and season with salt and pepper. Add the zucchini and tomato, along with the frozen vegetables and garbanzo beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the zucchini is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in cooked pasta to serve.