Verde Chicken Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you add depth of flavor to chicken soup? ›

Cold-poaching the chicken breasts, then removing them until the end of the cooking process, guarantees a perfectly tender and juicy texture. Using stock reinforces the flavor of the broth, creating a more deeply flavorful soup.

Lemons are a chicken soup game changer. Why? They brighten up and balance the salty, rich flavors of the dish, and make all of the ingredients come into line. Like a vinaigrette on a salad, the pickle on a burger, and the sour cream in a coffee cake, a squeeze of lemon gives chicken soup a game-changing brightness.

Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. "Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices.

Bring to a boil on high heat and reduce to a low simmer. If scum rises to the surface of the pot (this usually happens in the first half hour of cooking), skim off with a large metal spoon. Let simmer uncovered at a low simmer for 4 to 6 hours. Check every hour or so to be sure there is still enough water in the pot.

Bouillon is made by removing the water from chicken broth, leaving all the flavor of the broth without the volume. Bouillon is typically sold as a loose powder or compact cube, which can be redissolved in boiling water to create an instant broth. One benefit of using chicken bouillon is its shelf stability.

Brown or Sear the Meat

If you are adding meat to a soup, sear or brown it in a sauté pan before you add it to the soup. This adds a deeper savory flavor to the whole soup. This trick is especially useful for things like chicken and sausage, which can sometimes get bland and rubbery while floating in a brothy soup.

Place the chicken in a 6- to 7-quart soup pot and add the water (it should cover chicken). Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce to a bare simmer and skim foam as it rises to the surface.

What thickens chicken soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

Whether it's white wine or vinegar, a touch of acid added to the simmering pot will create a richer finished product. That's because acid helps break down the cartilage and other connective tissues in the bones of the chicken, which helps speed up the formation of gelatin in the stock.

Add aromatics: Enhance the flavor of the broth by adding aromatics such as onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and herbs. Sauté them in a separate pan with a little oil until they are softened and slightly caramelized. Then add them to the broth and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Aside from the match-made-in-heaven, the real reason you should be adding lemon to chicken soup is because of its acidic properties.

Browning your ingredients on the stovetop or in the oven creates deep, savory flavors that you won't get from simply adding those same ingredients straight to a pot of water. Take our Double-Dark Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, for example.

Herbs add a fresh note to a bland chicken soup. Add a sprig or two and let them steep as the soup simmers for 10 to 30 minutes, or chop the herbs and toss them in for near-immediate color and flavor.

Marinating is good for flavouring and tenderising your chicken at the same time. It's best to marinate your chicken overnight to give the flavours plenty of time to infuse. A faster way to add flavour is to simply brine your chicken in salty water prior to cooking.

Use acidic ingredients to add that little "something missing" in the dish. Acids make nearly any vegetable or meat dish much perkier, with a brighter flavor that tastes deeper than it would without the acid.