Lansing State Journal: Chicken soup: Jazz up broth to chase away the flu season

Chicken noodle soup is an easy, great-tasting meal for the family. Throw everything in the pot in the afternoon, and a few hours later, dinner is ready. And as the post-holiday flu season homesteads these winter months, it's a time-tested comfort remedy, even if the jury is still out on its medicinal value.

Depending on your abilities, your time and what's in your refrigerator, we have three recipes that will work for various expertise levels.
The slow-cooker recipe takes the least amount of work. A can of this, a can of that, chopped veggies and leftover chicken meat.

Making chicken stock from scratch is more time intensive. It requires time to boil and then chill the stock, skim the fat and shred the meat. Somewhere in between is the Asian-inspired soup full of fresh, chopped vegetables.

Susan Greenhalgh, chef- owner of the Calico Cow restaurant in Phoenix, says the beauty of chicken noodle soup is that you can't go wrong.
Greenhalgh's soup, a mainstay on her classic comfort food menu, is based on her grandmother's recipe. It calls for chicken with skin and bones, water, vegetables and pasta.

Use a whole chicken or an assortment of drumsticks, breasts and thighs, but don't skimp on the fat.
The stock "doesn't taste the same (if) made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts," Greenhalgh says. "You need the fat and bones to flavor the stock.

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If you want the psychological healing power of feel-good soup without simmering stock for a few hours, keep a few cans of low-sodium chicken broth in the pantry.
At Bashas' - an Arizona chain of grocery stores founded by immigrant Lebanese brothers in 1932 - deli chef Celia Sablone creates an aromatic Spicy Chicken Noodle Soup that evokes images of Asia. Make it at home with leftover roasted chicken, fresh ginger, garlic, mushrooms, bell peppers, bok choy and udon noodles.

It's a powerful "get well soon" soup to make for a friend who's under the weather.
Another winner is a creamy chicken noodle soup from Sandra Lee's "Semi-Homemade Cooking II" (Meredith, $19.95), fresh and simple.

Lee says partially homemade soups are flavorful and quick, taking advantage of products in the grocery store. The soup is made with store-bought roasted chicken and canned cream of mushroom soup with garlic.
Remove skin from roasted chicken and shred meat from bone.

Place chicken, onion, celery and carrots in a 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in broth, soup and fines herbes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on high-heat setting for three to four hours or low-heat setting for eight to nine hours. When soup is done, stir in cooked egg noodles and heat through. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Makes eight servings. Note: Fines herbes is a classic blend of herbs that usually consist of chervil, chives, parsley and tarragon. You'll find it in the spice section of a grocery store.

Source: "Semi-Homemade Cooking II," by Sandra Lee (Meredith, $19.95).
1 fatty roast chicken, 4 to 5 pounds 6 to 12 fresh parsley sprigs, chopped Clean and rinse chicken.

On a stove in a 3-quart stockpot, add cold water and chicken and bring to a boil for 1 hour. Remove chicken and refrigerate. Put stockpot in freezer or refrigerator to chill.

Once chilled, place stockpot on the stove and skim the layer of fat that has formed. Bring stock to a simmer. Add bay leaves and vegetables.

While the stock is simmering, uncovered, remove skin and bones from the cooled chicken. Coarsely chop or shred the meat. Add meat to stockpot and season with garlic, black pepper, kosher salt, parsley and granulated garlic.

Prepare pasta per directions on the package. Drain pasta and add to soup. Yields about 2 gallons of soup.

Makes 10 to 12 servings. Source: Chef-owner Susan Greenhalgh, Calico Cow, Phoenix.
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated 6 shiitake mushrooms, rinsed and thinly sliced 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced with a carrot peeler, like ribbons 3 ounces somen or udon noodles, broken into 2- or 3-inch lengths (or any other dry noodle) 3 1/2 red peppers, julienned Green onions chopped on the bias, to taste Salt, soy sauce and pepper, to taste In a large saucepan, saute the garlic and ginger in oil for one minute, then add the chicken and mushrooms, and cook for a few more minutes.

Add broth, bok choy, soy sauce and five-spice powder. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer. Add the carrots, noodles, peppers and green onion, and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until noodles are tender.

Adjust the seasoning and serve, garnished with green onions and grated lemon rind. Makes 4-5 servings. Note: Five-spice powder is a blend of Asian herbs and spices that usually consist of Szechuan peppercorns, star anise and fennel seeds.

You'll find it prepackaged in the spice section of grocery stores.

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