Homemade Chicken Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 whole chicken, breasts removed and reserved

2 onions

2 litres boiling water

Salt

2 bay leaves

1 large carrot

1 celery stalk

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

Ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Dice the onion. Peel the carrots and cut them as well as the celery into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces. Mince the fresh parsley leaves.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot and sauté the breasts until they are light brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the breasts and set aside. Add half of the onions and sauté until translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Cut up the remaining parts of the chicken (not the breasts) into small pieces to allow them to release their juices in the shortest time possible. If you have a meat cleaver, it makes the job easier, but if you don’t, do the best you can with a chefs knife.

Add the pieces to the pot, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until no longer pink. Return the onions to the pot, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes. Add boiling water, the reserved chicken breasts, 2 teaspoons of salt, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer until chicken breasts are cooked, about 20 minutes. Increase the heat if necessary.

Remove chicken breasts and set aside. Strain and reserve the broth. Skim fat from the broth. Sauté the remaining onions along with the carrot and celery for about 5 minutes in a little butter.

When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones. Shred the breast meat into bite sized pieces and add to the pot. Add thyme and the reserved broth; simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Season with salt and pepper, add parsley and serve.