Cheap, Healthy, Chicken Soup

How to Make Cheap, Tasty, Chicken Soup for 2/3 people

The cheapest way to use chicken is to buy a whole one, dissect it into legs, thighs, wings, breasts and use in another dish. What you are left with is the carcass - the back and breast bones, which still has a lot of meat on it. Don't throw it away. This is not only good for making chicken stock, but for making Chicken Soup.

Ingredients
. 1 Chicken Carcass
. 3 litres water, approx
. 1 medium onion, chopped very finely
. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
. 2 medium potatoes, chopped in small cubes
. 1 stock cube - chicken or vegetable
. large handful coriander or parsley
. 1 handful red lentils
. 1tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
. (sprinkling of tumeric - optional)

Method
1. Place chicken carcass in a large pan three quarter filled with water, and bring to the boil. Cover and lower heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours until the meat is falling off the bones.

2. Remove chicken pieces and place on a plate or board to cool.

3. When half cooled, use a knife and fork, or fingers, to remove the meat carefully from the bones. Make sure you remove ALL bones, especially very small bones. Place the meat in a separate bowl.

4. Strain the chicken water into another large saucepan or bowl,  using a very fine strainer, or muslin.

5. Wash the original saucepan ready to reuse.

6. Heat saucepan, with one table spoon olive oil

7. Add onions and potatoes, and cook till soft but not brown.

8. Add the strained chicken water.

9. Add garlic, stock cube, and half the coriander, and boil on medium heat and bring to boil.

10. Add the red lentils, and boil for about half hour, until the potatoes are very soft.

11. Remove from heat and using a potato masher, mash if required

12. Replace on heat, and add rest of herbs, (salt and pepper if liked, but it is not necessary). Add more water if needed, and boil for another few minutes.