Cooking Grammie’s Chicken Soup

by Margot Garfield-Anderson

It’s hard to believe that I began writing for Tomorrow’s Child thirteen years ago! While running a conference for the Montessori Foundation/IMC in California, my daughter went into labor ten days early up in Rochester, New York. Devastated that I was not in place and on time, the new parents Skyped me and (unknown to the joyous couple), several dozen conference attendees and exhibitors into the delivery room as the baby was swaddled and held up to the camera. There she was, my first grandchild, eyes wide open, looking at all these people crying and clapping and sharing in the miracle of her arrival.

Over the years, three more granddaughters arrived, and I always had a great deal of material to share with the grandparents of Montessori families. My goals have always been to create memories and traditions while enticing the children to join me in cooking projects, reading, art projects, learning trips, and adventures.

I’ve since retired, but the Montessori Family Alliance has asked that I continue to write and share helpful and fun-filled ideas with our subscribers. Now here I am, back on the computer, deciding what should come first in what I hope will be a series of articles and podcasts.

I’ll start by making a few declarations:

• I’m a grandparent first and a pseudo-writer second.

• I’m passionate about healthy eating, but I’m not a certified dietician or nutrition specialist. However, my daughter Nicole is both a board-certified Dietician and Sports Nutritionist and a classically trained chef. She’s agreed to work with me on that component of any information I share.

• I think children who receive a Montessori education are the most fortunate group of children possible.

So, let’s get started with an anecdote about my two New Jersey granddaughters and Nicole. In January, Nicole and her husband were off on a trip, and I flew from my home in Florida to stay with the girls. While there, I was planning on making my homemade Jewish Chicken Soup for a sick friend who lived not far from their home. (My recipe and directions are shared with you in a sidebar.)

Years ago, I realized how messy and unpleasant deboning the chicken was to me, and no matter how careful I was, chicken skin always ended up in the broth, and NO ONE liked that! I purchased unbleached cheesecloth, seasoned my chicken with the cloth underneath, and then tied the four corners together. When the soup was ready, I simply lifted the cheesecloth and put it into a bowl, untied the knots, deboned the chicken, and tied up all the bones, skin, and other parts I wasn't using up and discarded them. Voila! No mess and so much easier to clean up.

My granddaughters were having a friend over for dinner and asked if they could taste the soup. They all really liked it (disclosure here, they all had been eating non-homemade soup, and I try not to judge too hard on that one) and asked if they could have more. Each ended up having three bowls that night and more the next day. WOW. That doesn’t happen too often, so I’ll take the win.

Several days after I had come back home, my daughter called me super early in the morning to ask, “How did you make the soup? The girls want Grammie’s Jewish Chicken Soup.” I’ll admit it, I took a moment to revel in it and then shared my recipe that included the use of cheesecloth. Throughout her prepping and making the soup, there were questions about how long to cook, the temperature, and covered or not covered. (I’ve tried to update my recipe instructions to include all this information.)

She shared a picture with me of her finished product and she was officially declared a maker of soup.

A few days after that, Aubrey (age 10) and I were visiting by FaceTime, and I asked her, “How did mommy’s soup taste? In her deep raspy voice, she came in real close to the camera and said, “Not as good as yours, Grammie.” I asked her why because I was quite surprised that the results would be that much different. “Too many noodles.” That was quite a shocker, as well, because this is a child who loves her pasta. Thinking about this, I have made one other adjustment in the directions to caution you not to put the noodles in the soup while it’s cooking. Instead, prepare the noodles separately, without overcooking them, and put a small portion of noodles in each bowl and then top it off with the soup. Lessons learned all the way around.

Not all parents or grandparents have the time or desire to make homemade soup. I get it, we are all busy, or our interests don’t happen to take us into the kitchen. I’ve made my own soup for over 40 years, and over the years, I’ve had to take a few shortcuts myself. For instance, I buy low-sodium, organic chicken bone broth. In the past, I spent two days just making chicken stock and then making soup. The bone broth adds more flavor than regular stock and has way more protein. Because I use low-sodium broth, I can add a small amount of salt if it’s needed, but most won’t even notice the reduction, and that’s a win in the health column as well.

By not putting the noodles in the soup, you can control the portion of the carbohydrates. Most of us eat a lot of carbs during the day that come from highly processed, salt and sugar-laden foods, so cutting down on pasta is another win for the health column.

These are small adjustments, because totally changing eating habits all at once is guaranteed to not be a winner in your family. Slowly make the changes by introducing them into all areas of meals and snacks. The benefits to children are significant. They help our children feel better; have better body image; have healthier eating habits, focus, and concentration; and have fewer mood swings.

I hope all grandparents will take the time to share traditions and recipes with their grandchildren and revel in the time they get to spend together. It goes by way too quickly. There will come a point in their lives when they may not want to do these kinds of things, so be present when with them and get cooking! 

Grammie’s Chicken Soup Recipe

1 whole chicken

1-2 lbs peeled carrots

1 large head of celery (I prefer the hearts; they aren't as bitter)

1 large bunch of fresh dill

1/2 med sweet onion

3 containers low-sodium chicken bone broth

1 large square of unbleached cheesecloth garlic powder, paprika, and pepper to taste

Cut your cheesecloth so it's big enough to cradle the chicken and set it flat in your clean sink. Remove the gizzards, heart, and liver from the wrapping and put them back in the chicken. Season both sides of the chicken with all dry ingredients. If you don't want the dill in the stock, add it as well with the stems on. If you like in the stock, remove the stems, and put it in the stock.

Tie the 4 corners of the cheesecloth together, so you've formed a sling for the chicken.

Cut the carrots, onions, and celery and put them in a large soup pot. Add the bone broth, then season the pot with the same ingredients as the chicken. Cover and bring to a boil.Once it’s boiling, place the chicken in the cheesecloth into the pot. Reduce heat to a simmer keeping it covered. Simmer for 2-3 hours.

Remove from heat and uncover. Allow the soup to cool for a bit before deboning the chicken. Pick the chicken bundled in cheesecloth up by the knots and put it into a shallow bowl. When you undo the cheesecloth, you can debone it, separating the chicken from the skin bone and large pieces of fat, which keeps them from making their way into the broth. Then wrap up the bones and discard them. I often take the legs and wings and broil them off so as not to waste them, since we usually don't put those into the broth.

Serve over cooked pasta so that each person can have their own “right” amount.