Everything about Chicken Noodle Soup totally explained
Chicken soup is a
soup made by boiling
chicken parts or bones in water, with various vegetables and flavorings. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear
broth, often served with small pieces of chicken or vegetables, or with
noodles or
dumplings, or grains such as
rice and
barley. Chicken soup has also acquired the reputation of a
folk remedy for
colds and
flus, and in many countries including the
United States is considered a classic
comfort food.
Traditionally, chicken soup is preferably cooked using old hens and boiling fowl too tough and stringy to be
roasted or cooked for a short time. In modern cities fowl are difficult to come by, and broiler chickens (young chickens suitable for broiling or roasting) are often used to make soup; soup hens or fowl are to be preferred when available.
Terminology
Several terms are sometimes confused when referring to chicken soup or chicken soups. The following is an attempt to clarify the terminology:
- Chicken stock is a liquid in which chicken and vegetables have been boiled for the purpose of serving as an ingredient in more complex dishes. Chicken stock isn't usually served as is. Stock can be made with less palatable parts of the chicken, such as feet, necks or bones: the higher bone content in these parts contributes more gelatin to the liquid, making it a better base for sauces. Stock can be reboiled and reused as the basis for a new stock. Bouillon cubes are often used instead of chicken stock prepared from scratch.
- Chicken broth is the liquid part of chicken soup. Broth can be served as is, or used as stock, or served as soup with noodles. Broth can be milder than stock, doesn't need to be boiled as long, and can be made with meatier chicken parts.
- Chicken bouillon or bouillon de poulet is the French term for chicken broth.
- Chicken consommé is a more refined chicken broth. It is usually strained to perfect clarity, and reduced to concentrate it.
- While any soup in which chicken has been boiled or with a chicken stock base is, strictly speaking, a chicken soup, chicken soup, unless qualified, implies that the soup is served as a thin broth, possibly with pieces of meat, vegetables, noodles, or dumplings.
Curative powers
According to food historians chicken soup was prescribed as a cure for the common cold in
Ancient Egypt . The
10th century Persian physician
Avicenna referred to the curative powers of chicken soup in his writings. In the
12th century the Jewish sage
Maimonides wrote that chicken soup “has virtue in rectifying corrupted humours”, and recommended it as nutrition for
convalescents; Maimonides also particularly recommended chicken soup for people suffering from
hemorrhoids and the early stages of
leprosy. .
Modern
research conducted by Dr. Stephen Rennard, professor of pulmonary and
critical care medicine, and his colleagues at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center in
Omaha suggests that there might be some scientific basis for the belief in the curative powers of chicken soup. They found that the particular blend of nutrients and vitamins in traditional chicken soup can slow the activity of certain
white blood cells. This may have an
anti-inflammatory effect that could hypothetically lead to temporary ease from symptoms of illness. Their research was published in 2000 in the
scientific journal Chest. This was not, however, an
in vivo clinical trial, and didn't demonstrate that chicken soup was the best foodstuff for this purpose.
Because it's simple to prepare, relatively cheap, nutritious, and easily
digested, chicken soup is a good food for winter convalescents. Sipping warm soup can also clear the sinuses because of the steam ventilating into the nasal passages, serving as a natural
decongestant, which also relieves cold and flu symptoms. Last, but not least, chicken soup can be beneficial due to the
placebo effect of comfort foods.
Chicken soup in different cultures
Britain
Chicken Soup (or Broth) in Britain is a clear and watery soup with chunky vegetables (such as carrot, celery and onion), chicken and salt. However cream of chicken soup is commonly more popular. It is a thick creamy soup.
Belgium
The " Gentse-
waterzooi" is a stew with chicken, vegetables and cream originally from
Ghent,
Belgium. A
stew-like form of chicken soup is called Chicken
Booyah, known in
Wisconsin as “Belgian Penicillin”.
Portugal/Brazil
Chicken soup is known as Canja
(External Link
). Canja is a chicken broth prepared with
rice and shredded
chicken meat. It is seasoned with salt, onions, garlic,
cumin and
bay leaves. It is believed to help a person overcome colds, digestive problems, among other mild forms of sickness.
Chinese
Many
East Asian soups are based on
chicken broth. Typical Chinese chicken soup are made from older female chicken and are seasoned with ginger,
spring onions,
star anise,
black pepper,
soy sauce,
rice wine and
sesame oil.
Colombian
Bogotá,
Colombia’s capital, is known for a version of chicken soup called
ajiaco. Along with chicken,
ajiaco typically includes
sweetcorn, several types of
potatoes,
avocado,
capers, an herb called
guascas, and is served with a dollop of
sour cream.
Eastern European
In
Bulgaria chicken soup is often seasoned with
lemon juice or
vinegar. The
Polish sometimes serve ground almonds in their
rosół: this was probably the basis for a form of
croutons popular in
Israel, known as
soup almonds.
French
The French serve chicken-based forms of bouillon and consommé. Typical French seasoning for chicken soup includes: bay leaves, fresh thyme, dry
white wine and garlic.
German
In Germany homemade chicken soup typically consists of chicken broth to which kitchen herbs and (often)
durum wheat noodles are added. Another dish made with chicken broth, pieces of chicken, boiled vegetables and kitchen herbs is known as Hühnereintopf, meaning
chicken stew. Another way of making chicken soup from Germany is to make homemade noodles and add them to the chicken broth with no vegetables and just
pickling spice,
salt and pepper are added to it.
Greek
In Greece chicken soup is usually made with lemon and eggs, and served with rice. This soup, called
avgolemono (
egg and lemon) is a traditional remedy for colds and
hangovers.
Italian
In Italy, chicken soup is often served with pasta, in such dishes as
cappelletti in brodo,
tortellini in brodo and
passatelli.
Jewish
Chicken soup is a traditional dish of the
Jewish kitchen. The 12th century
rabbi and physician
Maimonides touted the benefits of chicken soup to ones health. Recent studies have proven its famed salubrious properties. It’s often known colloquially as “Jewish penicillin.”
Ashkenazi Jews living in
shtetls were often very poor, but chicken-raising required few resources. Most Jewish families would try to acquire at least one chicken for
Shabbat and try to make the most of it, using as much of the chicken as they could. Such dishes as
chopped liver,
helzel (stuffed chicken neck),
gribenes (
crackling made from fat and skin),
pupik (roasted gizzards),
p'tcha (chicken feet) were born from poverty-driven necessity.
Chicken fat was rendered into
schmaltz and kept to use for cooking. The remaining carcass was used to prepare the soup.
The soup, prepared with chicken meat and vegetables like
carrots and
onions and herbs like
parsley and
dill, was often served with
kneidlach (matzah balls),
wonton-like
kreplach,
lokshen (flat egg noodles) or
mandlen (soup “nuts”). A traditional garnish was unlaid chicken eggs which were taken from a hen and boiled in the soup. Modern health standards make these difficult to obtain now.
Korean
Samgyetang is a Korean chicken soup with Korean ginseng, dried
jujube fruits, garlic, ginger,
glutinous rice, and sometimes other medicinal herbs. It is held to be not only a cure for physical ailments but a preventer of sickness. Baeksuk, which is the Korean counterpart to the chicken noodle soup of the western culture, is also popular among Koreans for its power to cure minor illnesses such as a cold. While the chicken noodle soup, as the name suggests, has some noodles in it quite often, Baeksuk doesn't contain any noodles.
Mexico
Caldo de pollo is a common
Latin-American soup made with whole chicken pieces instead of chopped or shredded chicken, and large cuts of vegetables, such as half-slices of potatoes and whole leaves of cabbage. Another variation of chicken soup is
caldo tlalpeño which is garnished with chopped avocado, white cheese, and a
chipotle chile.
United States and Canada
In the United States and Canada, chicken soup often has
noodles in it, thus giving it its common name of “chicken
noodle soup.” The term may have been coined in a commercial for
Campbell’s soup in the 1930’s. The original 21 varieties of Campbell’s condensed soup featured a “chicken soup with noodles”, but when it was advertised on the “
Amos & Andy”
radio show in the 1930s by a slip of the tongue the soup was referred to as “chicken noodle soup”; Campbell's was preparing to discontinue the soup due to low sales. After the broadcast, letters began pouring in asking for Chicken Noodle Soup. Campbell’s then changed the name of their soup. Several variations on chicken noodle (Usually with the pasta in various shapes such as "ABC's" or stars) have made chicken soup one of Campbell's best selling products.
Chicken soup in history and media
When Manilal Gandhi, son of Mahatma Gandhi, contracted typhoid and pneumonia, a doctor recommended chicken soup and eggs. As strict vegetarians, his parents wouldn't agree to this, but Manilal received treatment and recovered.
Chicken soup is mentioned in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden: "And Tom brought him chicken soup until he wanted to kill him. The lore hasn't died out of the world, and you'll still find people who believe that soup will cure any hurt or illness and is no bad thing to have for the funeral either."
Both Maurice Sendak’s Chicken Soup with Rice and his animated film and stage production Really Rosie (with music by Carole King) make multiple references to the dish.
There is a series of books entitled Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Chicken Soup was the title of a short-lived 1989 ABC sitcom starring Jackie Mason.
Chicken Noodle Soup is a popular children’s song by Gibbs promoting Campbell’s chicken noodle soup.
“Chicken Noodle Soup” feat. Young B. was made into a popular hip-hop song by DJ Webstar.
Chicken soup was referred to on the Law & Order TV series by Jerry Orbach as "Jewish penicillin".
Preparation
The flavor of the chicken in chicken soup is most potent when the chicken is boiled in water with salt and only a few vegetables, such as onion, carrots, and celery. Variations on the flavor are gained by adding root vegetables such as parsnip, potato, sweet potato and celery root, herbs such as parsley and dill, and other vegetables such as zucchini, whole garlic cloves or tomatoes. The soup should be brought to a boil and then simmered in a covered pot on a very low flame for one to three hours, adding water if necessary. Seasonings such as black pepper can be added. A clearer broth is achieved by skimming the film of congealed fat off the top of the soup as it's cooking; the broth can be further clarified by straining it through a strainer or cheesecloth. Saffron or turmeric are sometimes added as a yellow colorant.
Nutritional value
Chicken soup can be a relatively low fat food: fat can be removed by chilling the soup after cooking and skimming the layer of congealed fat from the top. The nutritional value of chicken soup can be boosted by adding turkey meat to chicken soup recipes: turkey is a richer source of iron. A study determined that "prolonged cooking of a bone in soup increases the calcium content of the soup when cooked at an acidic, but not at a neutral pH".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chicken Noodle Soup'.
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