Directions

1. Place the chicken, skin-on, in a large soup pot. Add enough water to cover by about an inch.
2. Bring to the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and partially cover with a lid or tinfoil.
3. Skim off any foam collecting on the surface of the liquid with a spoon and discard.
4. Continue to simmer. Add water as needed to keep the chicken covered. The chicken is ready as soon as the meat is 165°F and easily falls off the bone. This is typically around 1.5 hours.
5. While the chicken is simmering, chop vegetables into large chunks.
6. Roughly one hour before you plan to finish the soup, add all the vegetables, the bay leaf, the parsley stems, and any optional extras to the pot.
7. Use tongs to pull the chicken and the vegetables out of the liquid and transfer to a cutting board.
8. Pour the cooking liquid through a strainer into a large mixing bowl.
9. Return the broth to the soup pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
10. Chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Be careful! The vegetables will be very hot.
11. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the chicken bones, discarding the skin and bones. Shred or chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bay leaf and parsley stems.
12. Return the chicken and chopped vegetables to the broth, and warm. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Recipe Tips