Label
All
0
Clear all filters

Using a Quartered Chicken

Appears in
Splendid Soups
Splendid Soups

By James Peterson

Published 2000

  • About
  1. Quarter the chicken (1 chicken makes from 4 to 8 bowls of soup). Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Sear the chicken in a sauté pan in butter or oil. Usually chicken develops a better flavor when it is well browned, but if you want a very pale soup, such as the chicken soup with apples and leeks, the chicken should be cooked gently in the fat so that it doesn’t brown. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes with the skin side down, then turn the chicken pieces over and cook them for 10 minutes on the other side. You can also just bake the chicken pieces in a 350°F oven for 25 minutes.
  3. Take the chicken out of the pan and add chopped aromatic vegetables such as onions, leeks, carrots, or turnips. Cook the vegetables for 5 or 10 minutes in the butter or oil left in the pan or, if the butter has burned, replace it with fresh. Green vegetables should be added at a later stage (see Step 5). If they are added too soon, they will turn gray.
  4. Put the chicken pieces back in the pan with the vegetables and add enough liquid—such as broth, water, cider, or wine—to cover completely. Simmer the chicken for 15 minutes. Take the chicken parts out of the pan and pull the chicken meat off the bones. Discard the skin and cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
  5. Add green vegetables or precooked vegetables. Green vegetables should be added just long enough before serving to cook them through. Some green vegetables, such as spinach or sorrel leaves, will cook in about 30 seconds, whereas tougher green vegetables such as string beans may need 5 to 10 minutes.
  6. Return the chicken cubes to the soup. Simmer them for a minute or two, just long enough to heat them through.
  7. Flavor, enrich, or thicken the soup with vegetable purees (optional). At this point the soup can be finished with cream, finely chopped herbs, garlic mayonnaise (aïoli), and, of course, salt and pepper. Vegetable purees such as leftover mashed potatoes or spinach puree can also be whisked into the soup at this stage.

Become a Premium Member to access this page

  • Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of the world’s best cookbooks

  • Over 150,000 recipes with thousands more added every month

  • Recommended by leading chefs and food writers

  • Powerful search filters to match your tastes

  • Create collections and add reviews or private notes to any recipe

  • Swipe to browse each cookbook from cover-to-cover

  • Manage your subscription via the My Membership page

Download on the App Store
Pre-register on Google Play

Monthly plan

Annual plan

'Brilliant app for foodies'
'Spotify of cookbooks'

Part of

The licensor does not allow printing of this title