Roffer Family Chicken Soup

We use this for our matzah ball soup, chicken poupergosh and knuckle noodles and noodle soup. 

I AM A GRAB AND THROW THIS AND THAT PERSON. YOU NEED A HEAVY HUGE STOCK POT. I LIKE ENAMELED. THEY DO NOT STICK AND COOK MORE EVEN. I ALSO LOVE A GOOD CAST IRON POT. YOU CAN USE AN INSTA OR CROCK POT TOO. I TEND TO USE WOODEN UTENSILS FOR MAKING SOUP. I FEEL LIKE WOOD IS GOOD BETTER. I USE A NO BOIL OVER, WHICH WE HAVE IN STOCK. THEY KEEP THE SOUP IN THE POT. WE HAVE A GREAT STOCK POT AND SPOONS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY. 

EVERY JEWISH FAMILY MAKES SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO THEIR MIRACLE MATZAH BALL SOUP BASE. MY OTHER MIX IS FROM MY GRANDMOTHER WHO WAS GERMAN AND SWEDISH. OR SOMEWHERE AROUND THERE. THERES BEEN BACK AND FORTH OVER THE YEARS. WAS IT GERMANY, OR HOLLAND OR... EITHER WAY IT WAS REALLY YUMMY. SHE TENDED TO USE THIN NOODLES OR SPETZLES WHICH YOU MAKE YOURSELF. I WILL ADD THOSE AND MATZAH BALLS IN ANOTHER SHARE. I LIKE THICK EGG NOODLES WHEN I DO NOT MAKE ANYTHING TO PUT IN. I WAS ADOPTED WHEN BORN. I WAS RAISED IN A HOME THAT CAME FROM CATHOLIC GRANDPARENTS. MY PARENTS DID OT REALLY OBSERVE. BUT MY GRANDPARENTS DID. MANY OF THE FOOD I LEARNED TO LOVE. IT CAME DOWN FROM FAMILY LOVE. WHEN I HAD MY FIRST BORN. I CHOOSE TO LOOK INTO MY BIRTH RITE AS ITS CALLED. MY BLOOD DECENT WAS JEWISH. I STARTED LEARNING ALL THE THINGS TO DO AND IT ALWAYS LEADS TO FOOD. BUT A CHICKEN SOUP IS KEY. BASICALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT. ITS MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL. I HAVE ADAPTED MINE OVER TIME TO BE MY FAMILIES. TAKING A LITTLE FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLES VARIATIONS. 

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Here is what you need and to put in your pot for the chicken soup base:

• Put the pot on the stove, turn on low
• Add one whole chicken (frozen is fine)
• I add an extra pack of legs, drumsticks and sometimes parts. If you are using a frame. Save the chicken for later. Add a few parts with skin when only using a frame or it will be more bone broth. The more bones the better. Always have skin on them. 
• Fill with water to cover the cover or almost cover
• Begin to raise heat to start a boil and than turn to medium/low
• Add the following vegetables: The do not need to be chopped or skinned. Generally I cut them in half or fours. Leaving skin on including onion and garlic. 
• Bag of carrots
• 4ish onions
• 2-3 garlic heads
• Bag of celery (use everything)
• -Leeks if I have them
• -If I have radishes that need to be cooked I add them (white type)
• Parsley (just throw the whole thing in)
• -If you have fresh rosemary throw some in not alot
• Salt and pepper to taste: Like 4 tablespoons
• Next I add spices I have on hand. Always rub herbs in your hands to awake. I add enough to cover the top of the water. Like a cloud.
• Italian, garlic, dried onion, random steak grinder or other I see
• I add about a half a cup of chicken soup powder consume. Its usually a yellow container (plastic). In the Jewish section of the food store. Which is a small section. Usually has noodles and stuff around it. 
• Now stir it down. Bring to boil. Lower to 3ish. Cook for hours. 2+
• You can tell if you need more of anything. I tend to add from from that yellow container. More spices and salt and pepper. 
• Done. Strain out all the things. Brad likes to keep the carrots. I toss the rest. I put all the chicken in a bowl. I take chicken apart. Keep the good in a bowl and toss the rest. You have a semi clean soup now.
• If you are eating now add this immediate. If you are not, save it for day in a bowl with a little broth. Than put in pot when you reheat.
• You add the chicken in, new carrots chopped up, an onion chopped, some chopped garlic, salt pepper. 
• When you are reheating or eating immediate. Make the noodles of choice and add to bowls as you serve the soup. 
• If you are making chicken poupergosh add about 6 tablespoons of paprika to the broth when you cook it. it is paprika chicken soup.
• If you are making bagged noodles over salt the water. 
• Using spetzles or matzah balls home made. Make them or bagged noodles in their own water. You can add some broth but the flour can cloud the water. You do not want that in your soup base.

You can always add things you have around the house needing to be used like shallots. Make sure its nothing starchy. Chard, spinach, kale would be fine. I would add them to the later clear soup cooking. As they would change the base flavor. 

The key difference with matzah ball base and regular soup base. Its that container from the judaic area. And it really makes it taste better. I used to use chicken bullion cubes. Those hard ones. This is much better. 

You can add rice later to left overs for a twist. Again precook and pre soak out some starch. 

I freeze a bag of stock to use later. I also make ice cubes with some extra. If you have extra chicken and supplies. I make two pots at once. Since when you strain you really end up with half a pot. I prefer to make a huge amount at one time. Both are a "poor mans" base. If you do not have some things. Carrots, seasoning, chicken, onion are really the big must add for chicken soup. 

We save the breast. The skin comes off and you toss. I don't add the dark meat to the main soup. Since I do not eat it. But I save it for others. My mother in law gets parts like feet. My oldest loves them. They have them at the meat counter. Key to chicken soup is salt pepper and bones. The flavor is in the bone. Some people preroast in the crock pot the chicken to roast the bones.

If you put int he fridge. The next day check for fat and skim it off. 

Enjoy.

**To can this. I make sure there is no butter and lower the salt.