Chicken CousCous Soup

It's been rainy and cold the last few days. Perfect Fall weather! Which in turn, means perfect soup weather. This recipe is just a take off of classic chicken noodle soup. I made the stock from scratch, as I had roasted a chicken the night before. I pulled off the leftover chicken off the bones before making the stock and reserved it for the soup. If you have not roasted a chicken to use the bones for the stock, either buy a whole chicken and make stock from that, or feel free to substitute canned chicken stock. Although, homemade always tastes way better.

Chicken CousCous Soup

To make Chicken Stock:
One whole chicken (or the bones and skin leftover from roasting a chicken)
12 cups water
3 stalks celery, cut in half
one yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
3 carrots, cut in half
1 TBSP salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano

Put all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with lid, and allow to simmer away for 3 hours. After three hours, turn off heat, and allow stock to cool slightly. Using kitchen tongs or large spoons, remove the whole chicken and the vegetables. Throw the vegetables away, BUT reserve the chicken. Remove the skin and pull chicken off the bones, shredding it into bite size pieces. Save the pulled chicken for the soup. Using a spoon, remove any impurities off the top of the chicken stock.

To make soup:

12 cups chicken stock (homemade or canned)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 stalks of celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup plain couscous
salt and pepper to taste (this will vary based on tastes and how salty the stock is)
**If you use canned chicken stock, add 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp  dried oregano, and 1 tsp dried sage at the same time you add the vegetables**

Bring stock and vegetables to a boil, allowing them to soften softly, about 10 minutes. Add cooked chicken and couscous. Cover pot with lid and cook for 5 minutes, allowing couscous to cook. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve warm.