Soup help needed..

[C.Ann]

I believe I may have asked this here before - maybe a year ago - tried the suggestions and still didn't get the desired results.. So - I'm going to ask again - in case some of the new posters can help me out - or some of the older ones that didn't see my first thread about it..

When I was a kid, my mom used to make this chicken soup that was to die for!! It was soooooo good.. Anyhow, the ingredients that I "know" of were:

Elbow macaroni
Leftover pieces of chicken
Bell's Poultry Seasoning
Chicken stock or broth

Now - the thing is, whatever she "did" to it - or perhaps added an ingredient I'm not aware of - made the "soupy" part of it thick - not watery.. Just a little thinner than gravy..

I have tried and tried to make it the same way, but I continue to fail.. Can't ask mom - she's 91, in a nursing home, and suffering from severe Alzheimers.. She doesn't even know who any of us are anymore.. Also, this was never a recipe that was "written" down anywhere.. It was one of those kinds that way back in the day, "Mom's" just had "in their heads"..

The ingredients I have on hand are:

Elbow macaroni
Leftover chicken
Bell's Poultry Seasoning
Swanson Chicken Stock

Anyone have any idea how this would all come together with a thicker, creamier sauce - as opposed to soupy and watery?

Getting real cold up here in the mountains now - definitely "soup" weather..
Thanks!

 

[Judy from Boise]

I would start by making a rou with melted butter and flour......then add in your stock a little at a time, then the other ingredients (which are all precooked) heat/simmer, and serve. If it is not creamy enough stir in a little heavy cream at the very end.

 

[C.Ann]

I would start by making a rou with melted butter and flour.......

Could you give me a "guesstimate" on the amounts of each - the butter and flour?

Thanks!

 

[suejai]

Whenever I have made a thicker soup it was from potatoes that I mashed up a bit when the soup is done cooking. Or have you tried cornstarch or potato flour?

I have seen my Mom make up a rue in a pan and then add it to a soup. I've never tried this myself though.

Just throwing ideas out there.

 

[PollyannaMom]

My guess is cornstarch.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

1/2 stick with 4 tablespoons of flour is what I generally do -- though I measure nothing so it's really only a guess. I just go by what looks right. You want your roux to be like a thick paste...but not shape into a ball. Melt the butter first and then add in your flour a bit at a time stirring until it looks right. I then add my herbs (usually thyme, salt, pepper,sometimes a bit of sage if I feel like it...) and then the poultry seasoning, then my stock and then my chicken and veggies. Let it all cook and then add in my noodles. It's not a clear soup...but not a creamy one either. For veggies I add to mine onions, celery and carrots...sometimes stringless snap peas or just peas.

Hope that helps.

K

 

[C.Ann]

Hmmm..my parents were very frugal - having lived through the depression and all.. I'm thinking that "flour" or "cornstarch" might be the missing ingredient..

What about "Gravy Master"? I know she always had that on hand......

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

My mom would make a thicker soup with the following:

Equal parts of flour to butter (margarine) with 1 tablespoon per each cup of liquid.

So I would melt 4 tbsps butter and flour in the bottom of your pot. Make sure to cook it out a bit to make sure it doesn't taste like flour. Use your chicken stock to deglaze with a wisk. Use only one cup to start. Add seasoning now. Wisk continuously. When it thickens, add the next cup of stock, wisk, repeat. When you have the consistancy you want, add your chicken and elbows. Make sure the elbows are cooked as uncooked macaroni will soak up your liquid. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

 

[buzzlady]

Cooking the elbow macaroni directly in the soup would make it thick. For me, it makes it too starchy.

 

[Nancy]

no, no gravy master.

I would guess corn starch or the rou.

If using cornstarch do not add it directly to the hot broth, you will get lumps. I take cold water and some cornstarch and keep mixing until it is all dissolved. Slowly add to the hot broth, bring the broth to a boil and it will thicken up..if you want it thicker just add more. Easier to make it thicker than to try to thin it down

 

[MAKmom]

1/2 & 1/2 at the very end will make it creamy.

 

[tonilea]

I think the rule of thumb for a roux is 1 to 1. One part butter/oil to one part flour.

If the "gravy" part of the soup was more opaque, I would think "flour". If it was more transparent, I would lean toward cornstarch.

 

[Lassie Lynne]

I agree with the flour idea.....my grandmother was of that generation and she thickened everything with flour, even soups.

It also never hurts to ask someone around the same age in the family or area, if possible. I tried for years to make a strawberry cake like my grandmother...never could. I knew it was made with a jello packet, but could never get it right. Mentioned it to an older friend when I was back home and lo and behold - - she pulls out a cookbook from the 40's and there is the recipe!! Apparently, some little booklet that was given out in that area free.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I believe I may have asked this here before - maybe a year ago - tried the suggestions and still didn't get the desired results.. So - I'm going to ask again - in case some of the new posters can help me out - or some of the older ones that didn't see my first thread about it..

When I was a kid, my mom used to make this chicken soup that was to die for!! It was soooooo good.. Anyhow, the ingredients that I "know" of were:

Elbow macaroni
Leftover pieces of chicken
Bell's Poultry Seasoning
Chicken stock or broth

Now - the thing is, whatever she "did" to it - or perhaps added an ingredient I'm not aware of - made the "soupy" part of it thick - not watery.. Just a little thinner than gravy..

I have tried and tried to make it the same way, but I continue to fail.. Can't ask mom - she's 91, in a nursing home, and suffering from severe Alzheimers.. She doesn't even know who any of us are anymore.. Also, this was never a recipe that was "written" down anywhere.. It was one of those kinds that way back in the day, "Mom's" just had "in their heads"..

The ingredients I have on hand are:

Elbow macaroni
Leftover chicken
Bell's Poultry Seasoning
Swanson Chicken Stock

Anyone have any idea how this would all come together with a thicker, creamier sauce - as opposed to soupy and watery?

Getting real cold up here in the mountains now - definitely "soup" weather..
Thanks!

I have no idea, but wanted to wish you luck. I'm still trying to find a chicken recipe my best friend's mom used to make. I've come close, but it's not the same.

Is your mom responsive at all? Maybe this would be one of those strange memory things that she could just rattle off?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Since it is leftover chicken, my guess is she put in the leftover gravy in the soup.

 

[monkeybug]

I'm adding another guess for flour and butter. That's how I usually thicken a soup, and if you let the rue get golden brown it adds a nice flavor. Hope you figure it out! Post the whole recipe if you do!

 

[Mamu]

I Aso agree you need to start with a roux.

When I make chicken and dumplings. After browning all the ingredients and removing them from the pan. I make a roux of flour and butter (make sure you cook the flour and butter a few minutes) then add the liquids. when the liquids start to bubble I add the browned ingredients, cover and simmer.

This soup sounds to me its the same consistency as my chicken and dumplings. A light broth slightly thickened. I also add a small amount of milk about a 1/2 cup to give it a creamy texture.

 

[Nancyg56]

I wonder if she used the roasted bones from the chicken to make her soup stock. I find that when I make my own stock the gelatin from the bones make the soup thicker. I also cook whatever starch i am adding to the soup in with the rest of the soup ingredients.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Along the flour and butter lines, did she by chance make this soup with dumplings? When I add dumplings to chicken soup it always comes out with a lovely creamy texture. Dumplings are basically biscuits boiled on top of the soup instead of baked. Just make your favourite biscuit recipe and cut back on the flour just a smidge so it is still kind of sticky. Drop big spoonfulls of the dough onto the mostly cooked soup until the top of the pot is covered. Cover with a lid and simmer about 10 minutes. The soup will be SO creamy and the dumplings will be little moist biscuits floating on top. Funny to see this thread now, DD and I just decided that because it is rather chilly here today we should have chicken soup with dumplings tonight

 

[dakcp2001]

My mom always puts a lot of veggies in soup, and she usually taker half of the stock and veggies and puts it in the blender, then adds it back to the other hald of the broth/soup. You would want to do this BEFORE adding the macaroni and chicken. I have seen my mom do this with Chicken soup, veggies soup, minestrone, etc etc. In your moms soup, was the thickness creamy or lumpy? Are there any cousins or sisters you could ask? If it was more creamy I think it would be the flour.


BTW if you ever make that WW classic veggie soup, this makes it taste more delicious.