Eyeball Cooking: Chicken Corn Soup

Yesterday was the mud sale at Robert Foulton Fire Department in PA.  If you have never been to a mud sale it is an amazing experience.  It is a huge auction event where you bid on everything from lawn equipment, groceries, plants, antiques, crafts, power tools, building supplies, sporting goods, Longaberger baskets, quilts horses and tack, plus much more!  The reason it is called a mud sale is because the ground is thawing and extremely muddy!  Wear your boots.

One of the greatest draws is the abundance of Amish-food.  There are homemade donuts, sandwiches, fruit cups, chicken barbeque and of course chicken corn soup.  It is a mouthwatering blend of chicken, broth, corn, and noodles.  Very simple, filling and oh-so yummy!  Here is my version, which is a more authentic chicken corn soup using rivels (tiny dumplings), instead of noodles.

Christine's Chicken Corn Soup

• 1 large organic chicken breast (bone in, two halves) with skin on
• Water
• parsley (fresh or dried)
• salt
• pepper
• 1 32-oz bag of frozen corn
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of flour

Put the chicken breast in a large soup pot and enough water to cover the breast plus an inch or two.  Throw in the parsley and some salt and pepper.  (If using dried parsley, use about 2 Tbls, if using fresh, chop up the whole bunch minus the stems).  Add salt and pepper -- you judge for your tastes/family.  I use about 1 Tbls salt and 2 Tbls pepper. 

Put over medium-high heat until it boils, then lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 4 hours (the chicken will shred apart!).  Remove the chicken, bones and fat and let cool.  Set the broth aside to cool. I usually skim the broth for any fat or run it through cheescloth and a strainer depending on how I feel... 

Once the chicken has cooled, debone it and chop the chicken up.  Throw the chicken meat back in the pot and add about 6 cups of water to the broth.  You should have about 8 cups of water/broth total.

If you feel the broth needs to be ooomphed, add about 1 tsp bullion -- I like Watkins because it has less salt and is very concentrated.

Throw in the corn and raise the heat to medium-high so the soup starts a light boil.  Meanwhile prepare the rivals.

In a bowl put in 2 cups of flour (I use gluten-free, but that is me... regular flour words just fine), a bit of salt and a bit of pepper (about 1 tsp. salt and 2 tsp pepper).  In another bowl empty the eggs and scramble them up with a fork.

Make a hole in the middle of the flour and gently stir in the eggs with the fork.  Keep stirring -- it will begin to crumble and look like course meal.  Once all the egg and flour is blended, take a wisk and gently fold the flour into the lightly boiling soup while stirring constantly.  The little dumplings should float through the soup.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook the soup for about 10 more minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

C~