Day 264: Chicken Soup
It was a phlegmy slide from Friday into Saturday. By 3pm Mike and I still hadn’t eaten a thing, so I turned the about-to-be-chucked stump of (three) day-old French bread sitting on the counter into French toast. I haven’t had French toast in eons, but it was all I could muster making, and although my stomach was rumbling louder than the nearby trains, it was all I could imagine eating.
Coincidentally, I just got an assignment to write a short piece on chicken soup and other food remedies and whether or not there is any substance to the old wives’ tales of cure-alls for the common cold and flu. Since no food lore required me to drown my phlegm in milkshakes, I made a pot of chickenoodle soup instead. Which I haven’t really had an appetite for since I was pregnant – roasted chicken was the worst, for some reason – so Mike ate some, W picked out the meat and noodles, and I ate more grapes, a spoonful of peanut butter and a Coke.
Ginger-Garlic Chicken Soup

Preheat the oven to 350F. Shred the meat off your chicken (don't worry if some is left clinging to the bones), chop it and set aside. Place the carcass in the oven and roast for about half an hour; this will darken and enrichen the broth, but it isn't necessary. Transfer the carcass to a large pot with onion, one stalk of celery, water, garlic, ginger and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until slightly cooled. Pour through a colander or sieve into another pot, and pull any chunks of chicken off the bones and add to the stock. Discard the rest.
Boil the noodles, barley or rice according to the package directions. Bring the broth to a simmer, add the other stalk of celery and the carrot, and cook for about 7 minutes, until they are tender. Add the cooked noodles, chopped chicken, and green onion. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Shred the meat off your chicken (don't worry if some is left clinging to the bones), chop it and set aside. Place the carcass in the oven and roast for about half an hour; this will darken and enrichen the broth, but it isn't necessary. Transfer the carcass to a large pot with onion, one stalk of celery, water, garlic, ginger and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until slightly cooled. Pour through a colander or sieve into another pot, and pull any chunks of chicken off the bones and add to the stock. Discard the rest.
Boil the noodles, barley or rice according to the package directions. Bring the broth to a simmer, add the other stalk of celery and the carrot, and cook for about 7 minutes, until they are tender. Add the cooked noodles, chopped chicken, and green onion. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.
How long is it safe to keep chicken stock in the fridge? I made some about 12 days ago and it’s been in the fridge since – now I’m worried I’ve left it longer than is safe to use!!
Sorry… I wouldn’t risk it after almost 2 weeks!
G – Foodsafe.ca is a good reference for questions like yours. When on the homepage, click on “Food Safety.” I think I would have poisoned my kids by now if I didn’t know this website!!