Chicken Soup (et al) Base

I roasted 4 chickens the other night for a chicken pot pie (recipe post to come), which was more chicken than I needed for just the pot pie, because I wanted to can some broth with chicken in it for recipes.

First step was to pull all the meat off of the bones. Then I took all the bones and the skin and I put it in a large pot and covered it with water and boiled it for about 90 minutes. Then I used a large slotted scoop to remove all the bones, etc. and I ladled the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large food storage container. I let the meat and the broth cool overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, I skimmed the fat off of the broth and I canned according the the Ball Blue Book.

Here’s the finished product:

So, you may be wondering how I plan to use these. Here are some ideas:

Chicken and rice: Saute some onion, celery, and carrot about 1/2 cup of each in a large saucepan until soft. Remove chicken from the jar and put it in the pot and measure the broth and pour it in the pot and add half as much rice to the pot as broth. Cook until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Adjust seasonings.

White Chicken Chili: Saute onion and garlic in a large sauce pan until soft. Add a 4 oz can of green chiles along with a 15 1/2 oz can of great northern beans, or navy beans and the contents of one jar. Add 1/2 tsp of cumin and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano. Bring to a simmer. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve with cilantro sour cream (1 cup sour cream mixed with 3 tbsp finely minced cilantro).

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup: Prepare a box of original wild rice mix according to package instructions and set aside. Pour the contents of 2 jars into a stock pot along with 12 oz of frozen mixed vegetables and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in 1 can of cream of chicken soup and the wild rice. Heat through and adjust seasonings.

Chicken and Noodles: Heat a jar of broth to boiling and add 6 oz of egg noodle. Cook according to instructions on package of noodles. Add a few tbsps of sour cream, garlic salt to taste and 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.