This was the first Fridge Cleaner I made and where the name originated from, I’d roasted a chicken and put the remains in the pot to make stock but thought it’d actually make a good soup if I ‘clean out the fridge’ and use those old carrots etc ...SO  here we go - it’s never the same, all depends how I’ve roasted the chook, what stuffing I’ve used, ingredients vary depending on what I have but the principal stays the same.  

Mrs B’s Roasted Chicken Soup

You will need:
Clean hands
Chopping board + knife
Large heavy-based pot
Zester/Grater 
2 Bowls 
Slotted spoon
Tongs (use to pick up chicken if too hot)

Ingredients

Serving Size: 2½ litres of soup

roasted chicken carcass – with all the scrapings from the roasting pan 

2–4 rashers bacon, optional

brown onions, peeled and sliced – any onions will do

1–2 carrots, grated

1–2 zucchini, grated

1–2 stalks of celery, finely chopped 

2 dried bay leaves 

1 cup ancient grains mix (you can buy from supermarkets or use any grain)

full jug of boiling water

salt and pepper, to taste 

SWAPS:  

– If no ancient grain mix, use uncooked basmati brown rice
or barley.

– Try grated parsnip if you
don’t have carrots (goes slightly sweeter).

– Add the zest and juice of a lemon  to give it that ‘tang’ flavour boost, especially if
no celery.

TIPS:

– You have to be SUPER CAREFUL to take all the bones out at the end, and I always warn everyone to eat slowly as there could be a bone ... but all okay thus far.

– Wrap your bones in newspaper if you live in an urban area and you don’t compost, and put in your council compost bin for collection.

Method

Once your roast chicken dinner is finished up and your kids are cleaning up (ha ha ha ha), place the chicken bones into a large pot, with everything from the roasting pan that is left over. Also put in the leftover gravy, cool, and then refrigerate. 

Pull out the next day to make lunch or a ‘Sunday Night’
type dinner. 

I scrape off the cold fat; you may like to keep it as it adds more flavour.

Boil the filled jug of water and add to the pot, just covering the chicken, then add everything except the ancient grains. 

Bring to the boil, then simmer on medium heat for about
15 minutes, infusing the flavours well.

Add the ancient grains, cook on a simmer till cooked (for as long as it says on the packet).

If using rice, you might need to add more boiling water as rice absorbs more water than the ancient grains would.

Use two bowls for the bone removal process. As said, you have to be thorough here.

Get a slotted spoon or fish slice so that when you lift out
the carcass/bones, the rest of the soup drains back into the soup pot. 

Put the carcass and bones in one bowl, cool a bit, then pick off all the chicken and place this in the other bowl with any other soupy ingredients that came out. 

Check again for bones, then put the pulled chicken etc back into the soup pot. 

Salt and pepper to taste, and the zest, and juice of a lemon can lift it if need be: it’s up to you and your taste.

This is super comfort food, served in big mugs or bowls. 

As it has a grain in it, it does not necessarily need bread, but some toasted, buttered crusty bread to dip never goes amiss! 

Enjoy x