Chicken Soup

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (I prefer dark meat and use about 9-11 thighs)
2 stalks celery - leave whole and don't cut off leaves
1 medium-sized yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed/minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried savory if you have it
salt and garlic salt to taste, added after cooking

Directions

Break celery so it fits in the pot. Quarter the onions. Put the celery, onions, and garlic in bottom of a stock pot and sprinkle the spices on top.
If you have a pasta pot with an inner strainer, use the strainer as it makes straining the broth easier.
Cut the chicken into a few pieces so it doesn't take up as much space in the pot.
Add enough water to the pot to cover the chicken well.
Turn the heat on high and bring it to a boil.
Cook at a simmer for about 1 hour, then remove the chicken with a slotted spoon, but keep the broth simmering.

Remove the skin and bones from the meat, setting the meat aside, and putting the skin and bones only back into the pot as you go.
Once all the skin and bones are back in the pot bring the broth back up to a boil, then simmer for another 1-2 hours.
Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces about 1/2-3/4 inches and set it aside in a bowl.
When the broth is done, use tongs to remove the solids as best you can, or if you used a pasta pot with strainer, remove the strainer and discard the solid contents.

If you like a fairly clear broth, line a large colander with cheesecloth and set it on top of another large container, big enough to contain all the strained broth.
Pour the broth into the lined strainer to filter out the solids.
Return filtered broth to a clean stock pot and add the cut-up chicken to the strained broth, reheating if necessary.
Add salt and garlic salt to taste. I usually start with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon garlic salt and adjust from there.

This recipe is Jan's best guess on what goes into her chicken soup.

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