I have found that if I remove all of the skin when I simmer a whole chicken, that I can tolerate homemade chicken soup very well, including the dark meat. I simmer the chicken slowly (after brought to a slow boil) with a bay leaf, some whole pepper corns, a stalk of celery and a chunk of white onion (about half of a medium one).
I remove the breast as soon as it is cooked through. and save that in the frig for another recipe. I continue to cook the dark meat and the bones. Once the bones are soft, turn off the stove and strain out the meat and bones, as well as the bay leaf, onion, and celery from the actual broth and discard these. The broth goes back into the pot, and I refrigerate the broth until any remaining fat solidifies on the top and lift it off, discarding it.
Meanwhile, the actual dark meat is torn in pieces right off of the bones, toss bones and refrigerate pieces of meat in a zip-lock bag or a glass container. When you are ready to make the actual chicken soup (for me, the following day).
When I make the actual soup, I do not add any more onion though do add some diced celery and whatever veggies such as a little carrot and some zuchini. I cook yolk-free noodles on the side and add them when the veggies are done (maintaining a clear broth), along with the chunked chicken meat, including some pieces of the white meat. Sometimes I add a can of organic chicken broth to enhance the flavor or increase the amount of soup. I also add some parsley for color. Once the veggies are done, and before you add the chicken or noodles, turn off the stove. The broth is hot enough to warm the meat and the noodles for immediate serving.
For me personally, the secret was not so much about avoiding the well-cooked dark meat but rather getting rid of the skin before the fat ended up infused into the broth. While one might think the fat all floats to the top of the stock, apparently it doesn't.
It's definitely the season for chicken soup and crock pot meals, isn't it?
-------------------- Senior female, IBS-D, presently stable thanks to Heather & Staff
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