Chicken Soup

Prep (2+ hours) :

1. Put your chicken into the stock pot and cover with water.
2. Add 2-3 carrots, 1 onion – with skin on, 2-3 celery stalks, several peppercorns – lightly smashed if possible, 2t salt, 2-3 garlic cloves, mashed, herbs: thyme, a few sprigs of rosemary, a couple bay leaves (these will all be discarded once chicken is cooked).
3. Add a little salt and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a good rolling boil for a few minutes, lower the heat to between LOW and MEDIUM. Put the lid on and let it cook for about 2 hours on the stove.
4. When the meat is more tender and just starts to come off the chicken it’s time for the next step.
5. Using tongs or a large slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the pot and set on a cookie sheet or large plate. Strain and discard veg (they’ve given all their flavor to the broth). The only thing that should be left in the pot is the liquid.
6. While the chicken cools for a couple minutes so you can work with it easier, skim off some of the fat that’s accumulated on the surface of the pot. You don’t have to remove it all since it does give the soup a great flavor but if there’s a lot you should try to remove some. (The amount of fat you have on the top depends on the chicken itself – some are fattier than others)
7. Remove as much meat as possible from the chicken and set aside for now. Do not cut the meat into chunks – let the meat naturally come apart as it continues the cooking process. If possible, strain broth into another container.

Soup assembly & cooking (approx 2 + hours) :

1. Add a little olive oil to your pot. Sauté onions, carrots, and celery until the onions are starting to get translucent and there is some color on some of the veggies. Lower heat, add in herbs, pepper, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for another minute or two, then add the broth back in.
2. Add in the chicken and leg bones (discard the rest of the smaller bones). Make sure that you add the leg bones to the pot. They are extremely important in making the soup taste great. *this is important if you’re not using homemade stock.
3. Add some water to the pot until the veggies, etc are covered.
4. Bring to a rolling boil once more for a couple minutes.
5. Lower the heat to about between LOW and MEDIUM, cover and let it cook for 2 more hours.
6. Stir the soup a couple times while it cooks.
7. At the end of cooking give the soup a taste and add a little more salt and pepper to taste.
8. Let it cook for a couple more minutes and remove the leg bones and bay leaves.
9. Enjoy!