Crescent City Chicken Soup
Chicken soup
Every family has a recipe for chicken soup. But the kind said to cure illness is often short on vegetables and chicken. It’s little more than broth, often as pale as the patients forced to eat it. Not this one. This soup, which begins with a roux, is thick and hearty. Served over rice, it’s good enough for company on a dreary, rainy New Orleans day.
INGREDIENTS FOR ROUX:
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons flour
See directions for Roux on this site
INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN SOUP:
2 cups, chopped cooked chicken
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped celery leaf
1 cup chopped raw carrots
1 cup chopped raw potatoes (red bliss is a good choice)
4 cups Swanson’s Chicken Broth (32 oz.)
1 bay leaf (remove before serving)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
STEP BY STEP:
1) Chop raw vegetables and cooked chicken and set aside.
2) Make a roux with butter and flour. (See Roux recipe on this site)
3) When roux is delightfully dark brown and smells like a baked pie crust, add onions and celery and sauté until the veggies are soft.
4) Put mixture in large soup pan and add chicken broth, carrots, potatoes and chicken.
5) Add seasonings, except salt.
6) Cook covered over low heat for at least an hour, preferably about two hours.
7) Remove bay leaf and add salt just before serving.
8) Serve over rice, if desired.
I can attest to the heartiness of this soup. My first time tasting chunks of potato in chicken soup, and the sensation was pleasant.
Temperatures went chilly last night in New Orleans, so I knew it was time to make this soup. Unfortunately, I didn’t have potatoes. Substituted baby portabellos instead. They worked well. One problem I had was the roux. The flour turned into hard disks, which I think was caused by the fact that I keep my flour in the refrigerator (to prevent bugs). I mashed the disks as much as I could and all turned out fine once I added the onions and celery. Delicious. Great the next day, too. Just add some extra water and simmer again!