Bland chicken soup

[Girleymom3]

I made HM chicken soup yesterday and we had the leftovers tonight, the problem is it tastes very bland, DH even said something:paper bag: He asked if I put beef boullion in it, I have never heard of that one, anyone else? What do you do to your HM chicken soup to make it more flavorful?:chef2:

[marabeth]

I am very cautious about boullion- many brands contain MSG- they can even label MSG as "spices" so of a label says "spices" or "flavorings" that could be almost anything.

what did you make the broth with?

I usually boil what is left of a roasted chicken- put in big pot, cover with water- until everything falls off the bone- then strain liquid and set aside. pull out skin, bones, etc, and put good pieces of meat back in the broth. add celery (even the tops- you can pull them out later, but they add good flavor), onions, carrots, pepper, garlic if you like, sometimes I'll add a little parsely or something of the like. It's pretty simple, but tasty.

[Gr8ful]

I add a liquid seasoning called "Maggi" when the broth is bland. It is similar (kind of) to Soy sauce. It is aka Lovage. I have also grown lovage in the garden. It adds a real nice taste to soups and stews. If you have the leaf style, just crush some up and throw it in. if it's liquid store-bought, I add to taste, but I'm pretty liberal with it...maybe as much as 3 TBSP. If the poultry is older, the broth turns out very bland too.

I make my broth exactly the same as MB, but without the garlic. I do the same for turkey.

Best wishes....Judy

[kellymy]

Hmmm.... What does lovage taste like?

We love the chicken/thyme combo, so I always throw that in our chicken soup.

This is the recipe I use. It works w/ a whole chicken carcass, too. Great way to completely make use of those $5 rotisserie birds we sometimes pick up at the store!

Bird to the Last Drop

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 turkey carcass
1 (10-ounce) box frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup rice
2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the vegetable stock and the turkey carcass in a large soup pot over low heat and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the remaining ingredients to the stock. Cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the bones before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

[Gr8ful]

Maggi / Lovage tastes like a veggie boullion mixed with soy I suppose. It's hard to describe but it's very tasty. I can't imagine making soup without it. You never know when the broth needs a pick-me-up. :giggle: Chicken Oxo Boullion is also a good addition if the broth needs something and you don't have Maggi.

I'm kinda lazy so I always make the broth part first. :giggle: I use a canning size pot and huck the whole carcass in and simmer it down. I strain the broth and the strainer holds the bones to cool a bit. I separate the meat and throw the bones away. Then I take what I need for the soup I'm making that day and after I cool any extra broth, I pour it into baggies and freeze it. Chicken makes 1 good sized pot of soup, Turkey about 4 or 5. Any extra meat goes into baggies. Leftover potatoes and veggies always get bagged and frozen here too. Even small amounts like 2 TBSP...they're perfect for a pot of soup. You might have 6 little bags of various veggies that need using...just add them to the pot. They work with any kind of soup or stew. :thumbsup:

The only drawback is if someone wants the recipe.... there isn't one. :giggle:

Sorry I couldn't describe the flavour of Maggi better. If you ask my wonderful sis...Janette...she might be better at the description. She's an amazing cook (and person) who can make the simplist meal taste like a million dollar experience!

Judy

[Twill]

This is my favourite chicken soup recipe:

http://www.stephskitchen.com/rec264.htm

I don't always put the pasta in it. But it always tastes REALLY good.

Steph also has a recipe there for chicken and dumplings which is very flavourful too.