Along with the start of a new year comes long, cold, tiring days and withdrawal symptoms from holiday excess. We can all use a little refresh when it’s time to step back into reality and this soup is all I ever want to eat on a winter’s day or night.
The ginger and turmeric add a nice spicy kick to it, keeping the energy levels up and helping the immune system ward off anything that might be going around. The lemon takes classic chicken soup to another level with a burst of freshness. And perhaps the best part of this soup is that it’s made with a remaining chicken carcass, so you can take bones from a chicken you have cooked and upcycle them into an entirely new dish. You can also roast a whole chicken and remove meat to add back into the soup later, or make into chicken salad. Please note that roasting time will be longer for raw chicken.
Make a big batch of this stuff for you, family, and friends to keep you going through the week.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass
- 3 chicken giblets
- 3 large white onions, quarters
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- ¼ inch piece fresh ginger
- ½ inch piece fresh turmeric (can substitute with 1/4 tsp dried turmeric)
- Juice of 1 lemon (keep the lemon after squeezing)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped (for serving)
- noodles of your choice
- chilli flakes (optional)
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Place the carcass and giblets on a roasting dish and roast for 20 minutes, or until they start to brown.
- Transfer them to a large pot, with any of the residual liquid. Add the remaining ingredients, along with the squeezed lemon. Cover all of the ingredients with cold water and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low and leave to cook for 5-6 hours. Season with a pinch of salt if needed. Drain the soup through a colander, catching the broth in another pot.
- To serve, add another squeeze of lemon juice, some of the carrots (if you prefer your carrots more firm, you can cook some freshly chopped ones in the soup 10 minutes before serving), a handful of noodles, and a sprinkle of spring onion and chili flakes.
