take comfort......chicken soup

Comfort for the soul  =  the Word of God.........
"You have given me hope.My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. I do not turn from your law. I remember your ancient laws, O LORD, and I find comfort in them."
from Psalm 119.....

".....you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed....."  2 Timothy 15-16 I'm glad there is SOMETHING able to make me wise....whew! that was a close one!!!!!

So, now that we know where to go to soothe our souls, let's get into some "comfort for the belly"  -CHICKEN SOUP!

This is another easy comfort food that we have all the time around here - it makes me feel, well - comfy!!!
I often use leftover roasted chicken to make the stock. If you don't have a leftover chicken (like me today), you can also use regular bone-in, skin on chicken pieces for this recipe-

I recommend dredging the pieces with a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, and paprika and browning them in a Dutch oven with some(about 1/3 c.) canola oil.

It just gives the broth a richer flavor.
After it's browned on all sides, it'll look like fried chicken - remove the chicken and drain off most of the oil.

in the same pot,  saute:
2 T. butter
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 c. finely diced carrot
1/2 c. finely diced celery
and sprinkle with 1/4 c. of flour

If you are using your leftover chicken, follow the steps above, then add the whole chicken in (alongside the veges) and cover it all with 6- 8 cups of water and 1/2 c. apple cider.  Then use 6-8 t. of bouillon (or 2 heaping T. of Better than Bouillon) to season, along with about 1 t. of salt and 1/2 t. pepper and 1 t. of thyme. Then bring it to a boil and simmer for 20 min. or so.
This is the basic stock. 

Then remove the chicken and remove every little piece of meat you can find, put it in a baggie and set it in the fridge.
It is excellent on its own, but these additions make it even scrumptious-er!!!!!

To this, I like to add:
1 rutabaga.....

peel and thinly slice on the grater.

do the same thing with1 turnip

add to the pot along with about 1/2 cup of barley

(but you can add whatever your favorite things are or nothing at all!!!!
- this recipe is nothing if not versatile....)
Simmer about 1 1/2 hours, till barley is cooked.

Then stir in your chicken meat and heat through.

You're almost there....but wait!!!!! Now i like to add in about 1/2 cup of HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM.....that's what makes it soooooo comforting!!!!!

The soup will not taste too creamy, just a hint of extra yumminess!!!!!!
So - that's it...that's all!!! Try it for dinner this week- i hope your family will love it as much as mine!