Basic Chicken Soup

This is a simple, but delish chicken soup recipe. I make mine very simple, but you can go ahead and add whatever veggies you want. While I cook it with Celery, carrots and turnip, after its done, I take out the turnip and celery. Feel free to leave the celery if you like it. It's also important to leave the carrots and celery relativly whole, cut in half is ok. This keeps the carrots especially from getting mushy as they cook. The key is to not add the noodles until you're going to eat it... that way it doesn't get mushy.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  bone in skin on chicken breasts
• 1  small turnip, peeled, quartered
• 4 -5  carrots, peeled, but in half (to fit in pot)
• 2 -3  stalks celery, cut in half
• 1  small onion, quartered
• 1  bunch fresh parsley, maybe about the size of a small fist, tied so that its not loose in the pot (its important to tie it, so that it's easier to remove when its done cooking)
• 3 -4  bay leaves
• 1⁄4 teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  whole peppercorn
• 1  tablespoon coarse salt
•  water

Directions

1. Place chicken breasts still with skin and bone in a large pot. Add carrots, turnip, celery and onion. Cover with cold water, making sure everything is submerged and that there is enough water to stir everything, and everything can simmer freely.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and turn on medium-low and bring it a simmer, stirring occasinally. Simmer for an hour, or until the chicken is cooked through. Taste for seasonings. Once chicken is cooked, you're going to pour the soup through a strainer, saving the broth in another pot.
3. Let this cool, so you can handle it. Once cool, pull the skin off the chicken, and remove the meat from the bone. Cut/shred, however you like it, into bite sized pieces. Cut up the carrots and celery if you want it in your soup. Add these back to the broth.
4. This freezes wonderfully. Cook and add noodles or rice when ready to serve, and enjoy!