The Cut Of Chicken You Need For The Most Flavorful Soup

Chicken soup just might be the epitome of comfort food. Whether it reminds you of your mother's home cooking or warms you up on a cold night, it is like a best friend that is always there for you. And for a dish with that much meaning, you want to do it justice by using the perfect cut of meat, so every bite is perfection. White meat, the meat that is found in the breast portion of the chicken, is a common choice for cooking because it is considered the healthiest part of the chicken. White meat contains fewer calories and less fat than dark meat, and even has more protein, too.

What dark meat lacks in health benefits, however, it more than makes up for in flavor and juiciness, making it an obvious choice for making a chicken soup that is meant to be delicious and comforting. But all is not lost when it comes to creating a healthy and still delicious meal, because dark meat isn't all bad for you. In fact, dark meat is higher in important vitamins like iron and zinc, and has twice as many omega-3 fatty acids than white meat.

Chicken soup is such a basic, well-known staple that it is almost hard to imagine changing it. But it's so incredibly versatile that it might just be a disservice not to experiment with ways to spice it up to suit your mood. The good news is that there are so many delicious options to add to the flavor of chicken soup, you could probably make it differently every time and never get bored — you can even start by adding some booze!

Once you've settled on the right cut of meat for your soup, try adding depth to the flavor with some lemon juice. This will give it a nice tang with a Mediterranean vibe, which you can develop even further with some oregano. Your kitchen's spice cabinet is a great place to find flavors that will inspire your soup, like the chicken soup powerhouse ingredient turmeric, which will give it a color boost along with enhancing the flavor. If your palette leans toward spicy flavors, try some chili powder or red pepper flakes to give it a nice kick.

If you really want your chicken to be extra succulent, stick with dark meat, but take it to the next level with the unexpectedly flavorful poultry cut: chicken oysters. These little bites of meat are found tucked away on the back of the chicken, one on each side of the spine. While they only give you a bite or two each, they are tender and juicy since they are dark meat, but they are packed with even more flavor than the thighs and drumsticks. To find these flavorful little bites, you'll likely have to head to a specialty butcher or high-end grocer, as they aren't commonly sold in stores.