Lazy Chicken Soup

This is one of my favorites. Mostly, because it's always so f*$king cold in SF where we live and secondly because everyone eats it. Plus it's a flexible recipe. However...the onion is an absolute must...for those who dislike the great onion. :)

Ingredients

½ Store bought roasted chicken (or in my case left over lemon and garlic roast chicken)

1 Carrot

1 Medium white onion

1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 box of chicken stock (we use the organic trader joe’s)

handful of noodles (any kind: spaghetti, penne…)

½ tablespoon of rosemary or thyme

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Chop onion, carrots, and garlic and cook in 1 cup of the chicken broth over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until onion is translucent and slightly soft.

• Shred chicken
  

• Add remaining chicken stock to pot and add chicken.

• Add thyme or rosemary (not both) and the red pepper flakes

• Add noodles and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes

• Soup is ready when noodles are tender

• Add salt and pepper to taste.

Hints:

• If you want to have more control over the salt, buy low sodium chicken stock.

• It’s always good to buy a lot of chicken stock. Sometimes I use 2 boxes or 3 cans if I’m making it for more people.

• My sister likes celery in her’s which adds salt so if you use it chop 1-2 stalks of celery and add in with the onions, garlic, and carrots

• I highly recommend using fresh herbs with this soup. If you use dried rosemary and thyme only use about 1 tsp. Dried herbs are stronger than fresh.
  
• When someone is sick in our house we use grated ginger instead of the herbs.
  

Lemon & Garlic Roast Chicken

So I found this recipe from my all time favorite Ina Garten. To be honest, it was pretty good but I'm not sure if you really need the bacon to cover it. It was pretty easy and my chicken was not 5-6 pounds like in the recipe so maybe that is key. Emi really liked the dark meat like her pop and I made a pretty yummy chicken noodle soup with all of the leftovers. I'll have to post that later.

Here's what you'll need:


Ingredients

• 1 (5-6 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme (my new favorite herb!)
• 4 lemons
• 3 heads of garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets (gag!). Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan.



Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.



Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with foil while you prepare the gravy.

Gravy
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Slice the chicken on a platter and garnish with bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme, and 1 lemon sliced. Serve with gravy.

* My gravy was not great. When I used my roasting pan I didn't use the rack below the chicken and maybe that was key. It seemed that my gravy never reduced and the garlic and lemon in the roasting pan was burnt. :(