How to Make Chicken Soup Perfectly

Anytime of year, a bowl of homemade chicken soup can cure whatever ails you, whether it's a cold, the glums or a case of "the Mondays." There's something about hot, homemade chicken soup that simply makes it all better. Unfortunately, these days people rely on what they can get from cans instead of taking the time to make it themselves, and it's a shame. The satisfaction of having produced a perfect pot of soup is almost as curative as the satisfaction of eating it. It's my observation that people buy canned soup because they simply don't know how to make it themselves. Chicken soup is not a daunting task, quite simple really and it's very difficult to mess it up. So, in the interest of getting people to stop eating out of a can, here are my tips, tricks and instructions for the perfect pot of homemade chicken soup.

First and foremost, you need tools and ingredients: 1 large stock pot with a lid, 1 whole chicken (I usually just buy a whole fryer), 2 large carrots, 1 small onion, 2 stalks of celery, salt, pepper, 1 bay leaf & water. Rinse the chicken in cold water, remove anything inside and place it into the pot. Cut the carrots and celery in half, and the onion into quarters and add them to the pot. Add enough water to cover the chicken (or make it float), toss in the bay leaf and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and put it over medium heat until it starts to boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low/med-low and cook for 1 hour.

After it's cooked for an hour, remove from heat and take out the chicken. It's going to drain so put it into a bowl as soon as you get it out. Also, remove the vegetables and discard. Let the chicken rest until it's cool enough to handle and remove all of the meat, tossing the skin and bones. Tear the meat into manageably bite-sized pieces and add it back to the pot, along with any liquid that drained from the chicken. Return to medium heat and cook uncovered another 1-1 ½ hours, or until the liquid is reduced by at least one third.