Hey all, its getting kinda chilly out so what better than a nice big bowl of chicken soup? I don't work with fixed recipes so exact amounts of ingredients will not be included. This will make you enough for around 10 people, maybe more haha, but it stores well and can be frozen for future eating. Also, make sure you have a pot big enough to submerge the chicken!

Ok, so for starters, you will need: celery, onion, carrots, peas, bay leaves, 1 whole/halved/quartered 4-5 pound chicken, salt, pepper, parsely, fresh dill, and maybe some chives if youre in the mood.

Then you need your starch: potatoes, noodles, matzo balls, etc. For the rest of this recipe i will assume that we are doing chicken noodle.

So..what you do is cut up your vegetables and put them in a biiig soup pot, I usually do about a whole bunch of celery, 10 carrots, 1 whole onion, a can or two of peas, etc. If youre really hungering for carrots, put in more carrots! you get the idea.

Next, salt and pepper the vegetables, add a chunk o butter and simmer the vegetables for a little bit, being a few minutes while tossing them around.

Once I get a little sizzling, I then add the water. I am going to guess that I use about 3 to 4 gallons, but once again I am not entirely sure. fill the pot, leaving some room for the water that the chicken will displace.

At this point, add a few bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Once it it boiling, I add the chicken to the pot. Let boil for an hour to cook completely, but you may do so for more than that and I believe it enhanced the flavor. Also, from what I have read, many people skim the top of the pot for fat, but I figure it helps to keep it in for the flavor. After the hour is up, take the chicken out of the pot, and pick the meat off in the sizes that you prefer and put it back in the soup pot (if you leave the chicken in for longer, it will come apart on its own, but i feel it is best to do it this way to get the bones and skin out of the soup). It will be HOT, so watch out!

After you finish picking at the chicken, it is time to season. I find sea salt or kosher salt tastes best, and just pour it in increments, taste, and stop when you are satisfied. Add pepper to taste as well, and chives and parsely.

At this point, I will put the soup back on the stove, and cook the pasta in it. Potatoes would be introduced at the beginning of the process with the other vegetables. Cook for another ten minutes and.... voila! Add fresh dill to the bowl, and your favorite crackers and it is good to go.

I also do a tex mex kind of variation with garlic, lime, tomatoes, beans, and cilantro if there is any interest in hearing that.

So...I hope this helps, its really simple and good eating!

Soup is soooo welcome this time of year.
Very good recipe. I've got chicken soup for lunch today!