Can I just be blunt for a moment? There are days when life hands you a sh*t sandwich with a side of sinus infection. I know you know those days. And on those days, if you’re at my home, I will hand you a bowl of classic homemade chicken soup. No bells or whistles. No trying to reinvent the wheel. Just the original real deal and sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.
It feels like so many of my friends are fighting off the cold/the stomach flu/the bubonic plague right now. So if that’s you, I feel you, sister! I’m right there with you. Classics are classics for a reason and this is one of the best. Warm comfort in a bowl. Easy peasy. Here you go.
Classic Chicken Soup
2016-01-12 14:27:27
Ingredients
- 1 4 pound whole chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups white onions, chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
- 4 ribs celery, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 3 teaspoons salt
- coarsely ground black pepper
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the chicken. If the skin won't come off of the tips of the drumsticks and wings, don't sweat it. It's fine. Trim as much excess fat as you can from the chicken and discard. Your soup will still have plenty of flavor but trimming the fat in advance will prevent your soup from being overly greasy.
- Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large stock pot. Add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and cook for a minute more. Add the carrots, celery and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for two more minutes.
- Add the stock and the chicken. Add 2 more teaspoons of salt and several twists of coarsely ground black pepper. Cover and bring the soup to a boil.
- As soon as the soup begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 60 minutes.
- Skim the excess fat from the top of the soup and discard.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let it rest until it is cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, remove the thyme stems and bay leaf from the stock. Discard.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat. Break the meat into bite-sized chunks and transfer it back into the pot.
- Simmer for 15 minutes more.
- Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve.
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