I've made soup many times with frozen chicken before (raw and cooked).
It turns out great, except I've noticed as PhotoChick mentioned, that the meat gets tough, if I put the frozen raw chicken (especially white meat) in when the liquid is boiling or if I cook it on high heat (I have a terrible tendency to cook things on high heat). Simmering works much better.
Whenever hubby and I have a whole chicken (either made at home or rotisserie chickens from the deli), we usually get two meals out of it, and then I make soup with the the carcass. Usually I freeze it to make soup later. I put the bones and any gelatin or meat that's left into a ziploc bag and freeze. Sometimes I'll wait until I have two carcasses to make the broth/stock. I throw those still frozen into cold water with a whole onion (peel removed), celery leaves and bottoms, and a couple whole carrots (washed, but not peeled), and simmer to make the base for a soup. Then I strain, let the solids cool, and remove the veggies and pull the meat off the bones to be put back into the soup.
I also sometimes dice cooked chicken (say after we've had grilled chicken breasts or thighs, or sometimes I'll cook them just to freeze for later) and freeze in a ziploc bag. As it is freezing, I shake the bag and separate the pieces every 10 to 15 minutes so that the pieces freeze separated, and I can just pour out the chicken I need for soups or chicken salads or other dishes.
When buying boneless, I like thighs better than breasts. They're cheaper, and cook up to be more tender, but they are a bit higher in fat and calories per ounce.
Last edited by kaplods; 09-29-2008 at 02:46 PM.
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