Have you ever looked back on your life and wondered, “Why did I ever think that was a good idea?” Yeah, me too. Here is one such example:
I was just about due to give birth to my first rascal…err….child. My husband and I decided this would be the perfect time to move in with my in-laws while he built our house (not the one we are living in, but our first crack at homesteading) on his paternity leave. Great idea, right? No holes in this plan.
Even when the baby cried through the night she never woke them up.
I was never tired and grumpy and once threw (okay, it was more of a gentle toss) their tiny Yorkshire terrier outside for barking and waking up my baby.
And we never had any disagreements. We were just one big, happy, in-law family for the entire two years we lived there. Yes, you read that right. Two years. We ended up moving into our house before it was even done. Because it had been two years and I’m sure my in-laws were starting to worry that we were going to permanently move in.
And I don’t blame them. I owe them big time for letting us live with them for all those months and I will be forever grateful.
The most important and amazing thing is that we all still love each other. At least I think so. They feed us supper every Wednesday night. Or is that just for the kids? Hmmm…
Anyway, there really is a point to this story. While I was living with my in-laws who happen to be French Acadians I picked up a few traditional “Acadien” recipes. My favorite of all happens to be Acadian Chicken Fricot.
Mémère’s Acadian Chicken Fricot
So simple, so easy to prepare and so incredibly delicious. If you haven’t tasted Acadian Chicken Fricot, you are missing out on some serious soup. You have, no MUST, try this recipe. You’ll be slurping and smacking your lips in no time.
What I love most about fricot is that as a homesteader, you could make it for free – or almost. Maybe someday I’ll be whipping this up using my own chicken and vegetables. Over the next year, I hope to feature more recipes using ingredients from the garden that you as a homesteader can make on the cheap. The first one is…
Cheap & Delicious Acadian Chicken Fricot
Ingredients
- One chicken carcass (mémère uses a box of chicken broth from the store, which works great too, but it’s cheaper and more homesteady to make your own bone broth)
- 2 or 3 cups of chopped chicken (I use whatever is stuck to the bones of the chicken after we’ve had chicken dinner)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 8 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 6 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- Pepper and salt, to taste
- 2 tbsp summer savoury spice (No substitutes. This is what makes the soup. Bonus points if you grow your own. If you can’t grow it or you can’t find this spice in store (it is not available everywhere), it is available through Amazon. Click here.)
Step 1
Make a bone broth with the chicken carcass. Simply put the carcass in a pot and cover with water. Let simmer for 24 to 48 hours. Strain out the bones and use the remaining broth for the soup
Step 2
Add the remaining ingredients to the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour or until all the vegetables are cooked.
Note: You may notice that there are not any measurements for how much broth you should use and that’s because I just pour some in until all the vegetables are covered. Any leftover bone broth can be frozen and used for your next soup.
Step 3
Eat! And try not to slurp your fricot too much. You shouldn’t do this…
But yes, chicken fricot is that good. Enjoy!
I’d also appreciate it if you shared this chicken fricot recipe with your friends. I’m sure they would slurp it up too!
PS. Just to be clear – I do have the best in-laws in the world. They are generous, kind-hearted, and all-around wonderful people who cook the most delicious Acadian fare.
Mémère’s Acadian Chicken Fricot
Ingredients
- 1 chicken carcass (mémère uses a box of chicken broth from the store, which works great too, but it's cheaper and more homesteady to make your own bone broth)
- 2 or 3 cups of chopped chicken (I use whatever is stuck to the bones of the chicken after we've had chicken dinner)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 8 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 6 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- To taste Pepper and salt
- 2 tbsp summer savoury spice (No substitutes. This is what makes the soup. Bonus points if you grow your own.)
Instructions
- Make a bone broth with the chicken carcass. Simply put the carcass in a pot and cover with water. Let simmer for 24 to 48 hours. Strain out the bones and use the remaining broth for the soup
- Add the remaining ingredients to the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour or until all the vegetables are cooked.Note: You may notice that there are not any measurements for how much broth you should use and that's because I just pour some in until all the vegetables are covered. Any leftover bone broth can be frozen and used for your next soup.
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