After leaving Seattle and the International Food Blogger Conference, I’m having a short visit with my mom and my “Auntie Marj” in leafy Leland, Mich. I’m heading for a long weekend in a cabin setting with friends, but I had time for a quick cooking lesson from Auntie Marj. She makes her own broth which also ensures that the chicken for this soup will be tender. Learning how to make your own broth is a good habit to develop, I’m told. I’m still working on it.
Once you’ve made your broth, this soup is fast, tasty, and will prepare you for the chill that is starting to creep into these last days of summer. Both mom and Auntie Marj served me plenty of motherly wisdom as we ate, because I was salting my soup with a few tears as I unpacked some life frustrations. Moms and aunts and kitchen tables are good for this kind of thing, but I recommend using regular sea salt or table salt for your soup.
Chicken Egg Drop Spinach Soup
Spinach Egg Drop Soup
Savory wisdom
3 lb. whole chicken (fryer)
1 lemon
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, (use Reggiano if you like, for extra flavor)
6 to 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper, to taste
To make your own broth
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator 1/2 hour before cooking. Using a heavy stockpot with close fitting lid (or large dutch oven) fill it with enough water that to cover chicken well (do not add the chicken). Add salt. Bring salted water to a hard boil. Using a spider spoon, lower the whole chicken into the boiling water until the boiling stops, about 1 minute. Be careful to not let the water come to a hard boil while the chicken is in it. As the water begins to boil again, remove the chicken and rest on a plate. Bring water back to a hard boil, put the chicken back into the pot, cover, turn off heat. Keep the chicken in the pot covered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken, don’t be alarmed if it looks terrible, because the skin will not be browned. Settle back on to the plate. Boil remaining broth uncovered until it is reduced by half. Add whatever seasoning you like, such as onion or carrots. If you are using vegetables as seasoning, be sure to remove the vegetables once the broth has been reduced.
Set aside at least a breast and a half, remove skin, and dice.
Add the juice and zest of 1 lemon to stock. Beat 3 eggs in a bowl. Add grated cheese to eggs. With stock boiling, and stirring in a circular motion, pour the egg and cheese mixture into the stock in a thin stream. Add diced chicken and baby spinach. Add salt and ground pepper to taste, and serve.
Serves 4 to 5.
Note: For quick version, use purchased roasted chicken 4 cups prepared chicken stock.
Kitchen Report 
I love the method of making chicken broth!
If you want it to be more like Chinese egg drop soup, you can delete the cheese and add green onion and cilantro with the chicken and baby spinach. The egg does the same feathery thing.
Happy to read about making chicken stock . . . and would love to sit around the table again with you Kendra and share life stories . . . .
Love to you . . . . .
What a cozy scene–eating homemade soup with family, receiving motherly wisdom around the table–beautiful!
Thank you! It was so great to meet you at IFBC!
[…] The chicken potpie recipe caught my eye right away. I have to say, even though the end result was delicious, the instructions were a little confusing and it took me two nights of trying to figure out what was going on before I mastered it. (I’ve rewritten the original recipe below.) To make it extra easy, you can buy a whole roasted chicken from the supermarket for the filling. If you are ambitious, you can roast the chicken yourself. Leftover bones and meat can be used to make chicken stock. […]