As the days get shorter and colder, a nice good bowl of Grandma's chicken soup sure sounds good. But what if your Grandma isn't around to make you that nice bowl of soup? How do you get that yummy goodness into your pot?

Well, here is my story on how I figured out how to make a soup worthy of Grandma's.

I found a good soup starts with a good base, or a broth. Now, I'm not talking about the broth made out of a cube, or a can. Those are great for convenience, but just won't hit the spot for a good soup. So, how do you make a good broth? I had no idea when I got started....so I read a good Italian cookbook.

They said a good soup begins with soup bones. Soup Bones?? Ok. Bones, bones. Aha! A butcher should have some of those right? (I sure didn't have any in my fridge...) So, I went to the butcher and asked for soup bones. The butcher replied, "Subba Bones? What are Subba Bones?" So, I tried again. I asked for bones. He should have those, right? "We don't have any bones", said the butcher. What kind of butcher are you, I thought. So I dug through the meat section and found some bones. I guess the butcher didn't know about those. Later on, I figured out that any old chicken or beef bone will do, and special soup bones from the store aren't necessary.

So, I took my soup bones home, cooked them for a day, took some of the broth and added my vegetables, salt and pepper, and some noodles. Then I tasted it. YUM! Wow, I had managed to find the secret ingredient to making a great tasting homemade soup. It wasn't watery tasting or bland. It also was super healthy! No additives, and a whole bunch of healthy goodness.

Now for your story :0)

Take a whole chicken, or a few bone-in chicken breasts, and bake it in the oven. Cut the meat off the bones and save the meat for later. Take your bones, a whole pot of water, and throw in a carrot, an onion, or celery to flavor it. A crock pot works really well for this step. Then simmer your broth for a day, or two if you want a heartier flavor. I usually can't wait longer than a day to make my soup though, as it smells so good!

When you can't wait any longer, strain your broth and discard the bones and veggies (or you can puree the veggies and add them to your broth if you like).

Take the vegetables you want in your soup, peel and dice them, and add them to the pot. I like to add carrots, potatoes, and onions. Cook until almost soft.

Add your saved chicken, salt and pepper, any herbs you like (such as parsley, thyme, rosemary), and maybe some noodles or rice. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the noodles/rice are done.

Serve in Grandma's old china and enjoy the fact you figured out how to make a good, hearty soup just like Grandma!

    Elise Grant
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! elise@dvo.com