Techniques for Making Chicken Soup

Chicken soups can be approached in one of three ways. The most direct method is to poach a whole chicken in broth or water with some chopped-up vegetables such as onions, carrots, turnips, garlic, or leeks thrown in for flavor. When the chicken is done, you can then cut off the meat, slice it or cut it into cubes, and serve it in its own broth. You can also use the broth as a base for another soup and use the poached chicken for making chicken salad or other cold chicken dishes.

A second method for cooking chicken, more popular with Asian cooks, is to take the meat off the raw chicken and make a broth with the leftover bones. The chicken meat is then cut into strips or dice, usually marinated, and then combined with the simmering broth and other flavorful ingredients. Sometimes the chicken strips or cubes are stir-fried before the broth is added.