I'm giving it a whirl today. Usually I tend to be a bit more creative, but since I had some extra chicken thighs in the freezer, it sounded better.

I trimmed and boned them, then decided, rather than just making broth ala the cookbook my mom lives by, I'd dredge them in a bit of season floured and brown them first. Hot oil, cast iron dutch oven, so.

While they were browning (in batches), I got to work dicing my onions, carrots, and celery. Call me lazy if you must (and I'm sure you will!), but I wound up using jarred garlic from Wal-Mart, since I rarely keep fresh garlic on hand.

It's working out pretty nicely. I got the aromatics done quickly, which provided enough moisture to deglaze the bottom with the browned flour/chicken fat, which will add some flavor. Now I've got it simmering, with the thighs in whole at present to cook them out ala a classic chicken stock. Probably 30 minutes total, and then I'll let them cool, shred them, and back in, along with the bones. I'm hoping the flour will help thicken the broth a hair, something like it's supposed to do in a Coq au Vin recipe.

Seasonings were pretty simple. A bit of parsley, a bit of oregano, K&P, a couple bay leaves, and a dash of cumin, which I'm really digging in soups as of late.

I'm debating a starch...what do you guys think on that end?

I think some rice would go well with that.

If not, you can try stirring in an egg white or two. Make a sort of egg-drop out of it.

*ObZ

Actually, I went with penne rigate. Worked out quite well.

The girlfriend just had a bowl, and she was wondering why it was so much richer than usual. I'm chalking that up to making it by boiling off the chicken after browning, which added the chicken fat, as well as tossing the bones in for half an hour to get the gelatin and proteins out. It's a bit of extra work to get that richness, but since I make huge batches and freeze it, this method is probably worth the extra time.

Meat should always be browned if you're shoving it into a soup like that. The results are always terrific. The flvours, consistency, etc.

I say rice would've been a good choice.

I gotta say, using dark meat instead of breast meat makes a far superior soup. Richer, tastier, and the meat doesn't get stringy after reheating.

I've never been one for chicken and rice. The penne is great. Reminds me of chicken & noodles over mashers or something.

man you made me hungry...

i did notice that dark meat is better for soups....

wow. you know whats funny man? i just made chicken soup like two days ago and your recipe is almost the same as mine. right down to the cumin an chicken thighs. it owns. nothing is better on a cold day than homemade chicken soup.

tell ya what else i add to mine though, a splash of soy sauce. makes a big difference i think.

nothing is better on a cold day than homemade chicken soup.

Turn up your heating :p.

Did the soy not make it too salty?

A small scoop of barley could make a nice addition.

Turn up your heating :p.

Did the soy not make it too salty?

i did not add that much salt during the cooking process knowing that i would be adding soy latter. but i can see how this could be an issue.

when in doubt always taste test before you add. because we all know it is much easier to add more than to take any out.