SOUP Sunday_CHICKEN TOMATO potage soup

CHICKEN TOMATO...
potage soup

Unbeatable tasty comfort found in this flavourful warmth.

Usually Friday or Sunday suppers
are pretty much Soup and Cheese nights.

Friday's soup comes from the leftover Sunday soup ;o)  You see where I am going with this?  If you are wondering...yes, I freeze portions of my soup as soon as its possibly ready to be stored away.  Keeping most of its freshness is definitely key to planning my 'Multi meals' ahead of time. It's great to have a few last minute preparations on hand when you really do not feel like being in the kitchen.

If we've had a filling brunch or a lunch...
 which dragged on to a later time...
supper will need to be a little

gentler on our system.

Brunch meal shown to the right:

Squash, caramelized onion with feta

and orange cheddar cheese frittata

What better way than a nice warm vegetable ' minestrone ' soup (as is shown to the right) or just plain,
tasty dependable chicken soup.

...Or, better yet, leave the regular, tasty chicken soup to when wanting to sooth your cold 'malaise' and kick it up a notch with tomato.

My favourite ingredient to raise flavours as well as adding a healthier component...is something called the 'lycopene'* factor. ...which packs a powerful antioxidant punch.  Yes, this strange sounding word is primarily found in cooked tomato amongst a few other fruits like: watermelon, guava and pink grapefruit.  Every chance I get...if cooked tomato lends itself well to the recipe...I certainly will add it.

Now, here's a recipe that I consider a 'Multi-Mealer'.  These are the recipes worth my time and efforts more so than what I consider a 'one-timer meal'. If this chicken soup flops...chances are, the rest of my other meals will suffer the consequences ;0(

Not only do I get my Sunday soup...I'll later have a few more meals such as: soup for another day, chicken left over for a salad, tacos or pita pockets, maybe a pasta toss...yummy lunch sandwiches etc...

Let's not forget...
a great soup starts with well chosen ingredients.

The basics in this case is a good quality chicken, tomatoes and selective vegetables.

 

What's great about a soup such as this one?

It is the fact that it is so versatile.

Open your fridge veggie drawer...

and see what you can bless the chicken with today.

Therefore, here is my version of what a

great Tomato Chicken Soup should taste like.

CHICKEN TOMATO
Potage Soup
 serves 6-8 persons

Click HERE for PRINT version of RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(American /Metric measures)


. 1 chicken (about 3 lb. / 1.5 kg)

. 2 organic bouillon cubes (beef preferred)

. 10 medium sun-dried tomatoes
. 2 laurier leaves
. 4 cups (1 litre) canned, crushed  Italian tomatoes

...Vegetables:
. 1 medium onion (spanish preferred)
. 2 medium carrots
. 2 medium celery stalks
. 1/2 a small red cabbage (optional)

...Seasoning:
(Prepare these a little ahead of time in a tiny bowl)
. 1 tsp. (5ml) of sea salt,
. 1/4 tsp. (1ml) each of garlic powder and the following dried herbs:
   basil, garlic powder, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon.
   note: Don't be concerned if you have only some of the above...be creative.
   These are herbs that I always hold in my pantry and use quite frequently to enhance all my meals.

 

PREPARATION:

Total approx. prep and cooking: 2 hours

. Prepare a large pot filled halfway with cold water.

. Clean and liberate the chicken from most of its fatty skin. Leave only some on the wings and excess that doesn't come off easily.  Place chicken into the pot...BREAST down.  Cover with enough water to barely skim the surface of the chicken. Remember, you'll be adding more liquid with the tomato.

. Place pot covered with its lid on HIGH heat. Wait about 20 minutes before a boiling action begins.

. As the whitish foam appears...grab a pierced ladle and take most of the foam off the surface.

. When you are satisfied that it seems clean enough...add the bouillon cubes, laurier leaves and sun-dried tomatoes.

.. After a 10 minute boil...add the crushed tomatoes.  Cover the pot (watching it closely) to bring the soup to a re-boil point for about another 10 minutes.  Now, you can bring the heat down to MEDIUM for the remainder of the cooking time.  For the next 40 minutes or so leave it alone.
. This is a good time to start prepping your vegetable additions ..
. After the last timing is up...add the veggies.  Adding them in at this point will help to retain most of their nutrients by not being over-cooked.
. Add the seasonings from the list mentioned above or some other suitable choices. Sometimes I put some cabbage, zucchini, broccoli...remember...its all good stuff!
. Now, is a good time to turn the chicken over to the BREAST side up position.
. Continue cooking for about another 40 minutes.  Lower the heat slightly and put the cover back on with lid slightly ajar.

. You'll know when the chicken is properly done when the legs start wanting to detach.
. Take the chicken out and into a large bowl and cover until you are ready to take it apart for your chosen meals. In this case, I put some aside to add to the Chicken Soup Potage.
. Why do I call it potage...because...I take the remaining soup that's left in the pot and purée it with a hand immersion blender.

Serving:

You can either serve the soup on its own or add some rice or noodles boiled into the potage towards the end.
Or simply serve as a more hearty meal with shredded chicken integrated in the soup.

Alright then, I hope you enjoyed my...TLC(Tender Loving Chicken)soup ;0)

Warm comfort and flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

* Lycopene: If you would like more info on this anti-oxidant...click here:

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