If
you need a break from the heavy food and treats of the holiday season,
put a pot of chicken soup on your stove. Serve it with toast or warm
dinner rolls, and your family will think they’ve died and gone to
Heaven.
It’s so, so good for your heart and soul and mind.
Throw a chicken in a pot. 
Place a bayleaf right in the middle of the chicken, because it looks nifty.
Peel several carrots and several parsnips.
I want to marry parsnips. I want them in my life forever. I want to lock them in. I need a firm commitment.
Chop up some onion…
Slice up some celery…
Then chop up the carrots and parsnips in chunks.
Shortcut
alert! Unsalted chicken broth, baby. Why? Because of the flavor and the
color. Just use enough to cover the chicken about 3/4 of the way up. OR
you can use half broth and half water. OR you can use 2/3 broth and 1/3
water. OR you can use 2/3 water and 1/3 broth. Whatever floats your
boat!
Then throw in the carrots and parsnips…
And the onions and the celery and a teaspoon or so of salt. (You can add more later if you need to.)
Bring
the contents of the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and
cover. Simmer it for a good hour-and-a-half or two hours so that the
flavors will meld and become beautiful and deep and magical. 
At the end of the cooking time, carefully remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a plate or cutting board.
Remove as much of the meat as you can, then shred it or chop it into pieces. 
Return
the chicken to the pot and keep it on a simmer until you’re ready to
serve the soup. Give it a taste and add a little more salt if it needs
it.
After you dish it up, sprinkle on a little black pepper. Yum!
This soup is very, very chunky. I should have called it Chunky Chicken Soup. Live and learn.
You can alter this as much as you’d like by adding fewer vegetables
or more liquid. But I love it chunky. The carrots are dreamy, the celery
tender and divine, and the parsnips…my goodness. They’re so absolutely
delicious.
Here’s the printable!
Recipe
Chicken Soup
- Prep Time:
- 20 Minutes
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Cook Time:
- 2 Hours
- Servings:
- 12 Servings
- 1 whole Chicken
- 1 whole Bay Leaf
- 64 ounces, fluid Unsalted (or Low Sodium) Chicken Broth (you May Use Half Broth And Half Water If Desired.)
- 1 whole Large Onion, Chopped
- 3 whole Ribs Of Celery, Sliced
- 3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Chopped
- 3 whole Parsnips, Peeled And Chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
Place all ingredients but the pepper into a pot. Bring to a boil,
then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until
chicken is done, vegetables are tender, and soup flavor is divine.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve in a bowl, then sprinkle black pepper over the top.
*Note: Adjust broth levels and/or vegetable amounts as needed.
Serve in a bowl, then sprinkle black pepper over the top.
*Note: Adjust broth levels and/or vegetable amounts as needed.
