More Chicken!!

I guess by now it's clear that CHICKEN is a favorite of mine! It's so versatile and as soon as I see a perfect pack of it at the grocery store, my mind starts creating recipes. Today, here in northeastern Minnesota, we're having one of those golden days of summer, for me at least. The lovely 'cool' between the 'hots.' A few days ago the heat and humidity were draining. That's predicted again for the weekend, so today, it's a Happy Thursday Cooking Day for me!

This roasted for an hour and a half at 325° uncovered. Then I basted, added 24oz. of fresh cold water, covered it and simmered everything on the stove for almost an hour. It's cooling now and soon the chicken will be removed with the bones and skin returned to the roaster. I'll add more water, a big splash of white vinegar and simmer that for a couple hours. Strain it well, give the carrots to the dogs, throw away the bones and skin, and chill it until tomorrow. Scrape off the fat, which I can also combine with the dogs food, throw it away, or use for cooking. Well-rendered chicken fat is excellent anytime you'd use butter or oil to sauté meat or vegetables.

Magical Mirepoix!

Meanwhile, using the meat from 1 big leg quarter, I'm going to make a pot of Rosemary and Basil Chicken-Potato-Corn Chowder. Chop the onion, carrot and celery into a 5 quart pot. Drizzle with Tuscan EVOO, season with Rosemary Seasoning* and let those vegetables slowly simmer, on another burner.  

Sauté 15 minutes, then add the cubed potatoes and 2-3c fresh cooked corn, 4-6c fresh cold water, cover and simmer a half hour. Add the chunked or shredded chicken, 1c sour cream, 2-3T chicken flavor BTB, a big sprig of fresh rosemary and warm it just to a slight simmer, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, add the chopped basil, sliced garlic, cover and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

At this point, I thought the soup was complete. I tried a little bowl and decided it needed more texture and crunch! I chopped half a small head of green cabbage, sautéed that in a little water, Tuscan EVOO and Rosemary Seasoning for 15 minutes. Added to the big pot, it was just what it needed! I took this photo before the cabbage was added.

Soup Knows No Season! - It's an all-year thing!

Make some soon! . .Lin