RECIPE ReDo: The Chicken is Out of the Pot---NOW WHAT?

It is hard to let the subject of chicken stock go.  The possibilities are endless and,if you make stock with each of your chicken carcasses like I do, you will always have stock in your refrigerator to use in a variety of ways.  I shouldn't have to say to freeze the stock if you aren't going to use it within a few days, but I would feel remiss if I didn't. (Ziplock freezer bags work nicely because they will lie flat and take up less space than a container.)

Sunday, I made a wonderfully easy chicken stew from America's Test Kitchen SLOW COOKER REVOLUTION Volume 2 (Provencal-Style Chicken Stew pp 64-65) and a broth bowl.  They don't go well together but that wasn't the point.  The stew is better after it rests a day and the broth bowl was Sunday's dinner.

I pulled the original recipe for the broth bowl from Pinterest and this blog http: http://www.sweetloveandginger.com/paneras-soba-noodle-broth-bowl-wi/. It's a "copycat" version of the Soba Noodle Broth Bowl served at Panera and it's pretty close. Follow it exactly and you will be fine. I wanted to try something different (much as my mother would have) so I used the recipe as a guide.  Here is what I did.

• Omitted the chicken breast.  Not necessary if you don't feel like having meat.
• Used shiitake mushrooms because I like the flavor and texture of shiitakes.
• Used Red Miso because it has a more robust flavor than either White or Yellow.  If you are unfamiliar with Miso, you will find it in the refrigerator section of specialty grocery stores like A Dong Supermarket in West Hartford, CT.  
• Omitted the cabbage outlined in the recipe and substituted Bok Choy. Bok Choy is in the cabbage family and if you can find baby Bok Choy, all the better.
• Omitted spinach. The Bok Choy seemed green enough.
• Substituted UDON noodles for Soba because I like Udon better.  
• My chicken stock is so rich, I used 2 cups stock and 6 cups water.  If you didn't happen to reduce your stock as much as I, then follow the recipe as directed

What do I mean by rich stock? As you "quietly simmer" your stock, the liquid evaporates.  You can choose to add more water and continue simmering or let it reduce to a deep rich color.  Another way to know if your stock is rich, is if it is gelatinous once it has been refrigerated.  Sounds unappealing but this jelly-like condition is a good thing! Just add water and heat and you will have a wonderful soup base. 

Works Cited

America's Test Kitchen, ed. Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2: Smart New Techniques, Even Less Prep, 200 Amazing New Recipes. 1st ed. 2 Vol. , 2013. Print. 

Jessica. "Panera's Soba Noodle Broth Bowl Recipe." Sweet Love and Ginger. Web. March 22, 2016 <http://www.sweetloveandginger.com/paneras-soba-noodle-broth-bowl-wi/>.

"What’s the Scoop on Bone Soup?" Harvard Women's Health Watch 23.2 (2015): 6-. Web. March 22, 2016.