Left over hearty chicken soup

There is one thing I love to do after roasting a whole chicken... make soup out of it. In order to get the least fattening version, avoid cooking your chicken in any oils. The skin will provide you with enough fat, just add water to the pan and let it bake.

Now, after the family has eaten their share of the chicken, pick it apart and either make the soup right away or start on it tomorrow (which is what I always do)

For those unconcerned with fat- save gravy made from chicken juice or just the juice and add some for flavoring

For those interested in burning weight off, add cabbage and use low sodium chicken broth from the box or can, make sure to read the back label to see what the contents are. I'm not including any of this in my ingredients, you can add them to your preference.

You will need...

A very large soup pot (this makes enough to eat for a few days or to freeze) Have company when you make it if you are not into left overs.

1/4 c. chopped leeks from the bottom end
1-2 cups chopped celery (its more up to you how much you like)
2 garlic cloves chopped or 2 tsp garlic pwdr. More to taste if you like
2 cups chopped or sliced carrots
2 medium pealed and chopped potatoes (bite size)
1 can of corn
1 can stewed tomatoes (if you don't care for the slimy texture, blend them before adding in a blender) Its more the flavor you want than the texture
1 cup left over juices from the chicken or canned broth
salt or salt replacement to taste
1/2 cup dried mixed beans/ lentils and wild rice (you can get creative here, use a 12 bean soup combination or black and mahogany rice which will turn things kind of purple but is excellent. Just make it dried lentils and or beans
2 chicken bullion cubes or chicken flavoring
apx 8 cups of water

***Seasons can be your choice, no bullion is needed if you know a good spice combination, I prefer a poultry seasoning, some cayenne pepper for kick, some bay leaves and sea salt and that's it! If you are afraid to experiment, go with bullion and you won't need anything else.


In a pot, put the water in, add carrots, potatoes and the bean/lentil/rice combo, cook down about half way on med-high heat apx 10 minutes or so. Don't wait until the end to add the beans and rice they take a long time to cook and you want them to soak up ALL of the flavors of your soup.

Once the potatoes aren't quite so crispy, turn the heat down to the lowest heat possible, add the rest of the ingredients. You can place in the left over gravy or chicken juice if you are using this at this time. You might also want to add a few more cups of water. Stir every thing around and cover, checking once in a while. If you are in a room close to the kitchen, a good way to tell your soup is starting to blend in the pot is the smell! Don't be afraid to carefully taste it as it will be HOT, and add seasons you like accordingly. I always add some cayenne pepper to mine for some kick and even some poultry seasoning for extra flavor.

Please note that the next day, everything will have pretty much soaked up the water so it will be a lot more like stew (hence the name "hearty soup") I will have more brothy soup recipes down the road, I apologize for not having them now. And no picture, I just tried but its not a pretty picture, but it tastes great so enjoy.