Hearty Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Soup

I just love a recipe that saves money and can be served to my whole family!

My picky toddler loves this meal!

Homemade chicken soup is one of my favorite comfort foods! It has become a favorite here and with a picky toddler in the house, I am thrilled that this meal gives us a wide variety of vitamins and protein, and there is almost always leftovers. We love that we can use last night's chicken bones to make a completely new meal!

Although pre-made chicken stock is so readily available and delicious (my favorite is Costco's organic chicken stock!), nothing beats true homemade chicken broth. Plus, there are so many health benefits! You may use any leftover carcass/bones to make the broth for this soup. I like to keep it simple, so no extra chicken bouillon or stock is required. 

Ingredients:

Leftover Chicken Carcass, plus extra meat 

4-6 Cups Water (enough to completely cover bones in the pot)

1/2 Medium Onion, chopped

1 Clove Garlic, smashed or chopped

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Carrot, chopped

3 Medium Potatoes, chopped

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Celery, chopped

1/2 Cup Barley 

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Strip chicken carcass of most of the meat and set aside.

2. Place chicken carcass in a medium pot and fill with water until carcass is covered. (Note: the size of the pot does matter; if the pot is too big, the broth will not come out as tasty!)

3. Simmer the chicken carcass on low for 1-3 hours. The longer it simmers, the more flavor the broth will have. (Note: you can even do this in a crockpot overnight or during the day! Use 2 carcasses if your crock pot is large. Cover with water and keep on low for 8-12 hours.)

4. In a large pan, stir-fry the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.

5. Add in the potatoes and carrots along with salt and pepper to taste and stir-fry another 5-10 minutes. This helps give everything a jump-start so that all the veggies are completely cooked at the end.

6. While the veggies are cooking, use a strainer to separate the chicken carcass from the broth. Keep broth in pot and set carcass aside. 

7. Separate the remaining meat off the carcass and set aside.

8. Add the veggies to the broth and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour on low (depending on how large your veggie chunks are!)

9. Add the celery, chicken, and barley to the pot and simmer for 1 hour on low.

10. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve, and enjoy!

My picky toddler really loves this served with a dollop of plain greek yogurt!

Do you have a favorite Chicken Soup recipe? What's your secret? Let me know in the comments!