Chicken Soup aka Italian Penicillin
Yield: 1 gallon
Ingredients:
1 each 3 pound organic or free range
1 gallon cold water
3 pieces bay leaves
4 ounces Parmesan rind
5 carrots (medium size peeled washed and cut into 1” rounds)
1 small bunch celery heart (root tip removed, stalks separated and washed, then cut into 1” pieces
3 parsnips (peeled washed and cut into 1” rounds)
1 large turnip (peeled washed and cut into 1”pieces)
¾ cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Place chicken in a 12 quart stock pot and cover with water, add bay leaves and Parmesan rinds. At this point you can add about 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. You can adjust the seasoning during and at the end of the recipe to suit your tastes
Bring water to a boil and skim whatever impurities rise to the surface. Then add all of the prepped vegetables.
Lower the flame to medium heat and when the soup comes to a boil again lower the heat until the soup begins to simmer. Add the chopped parsley.
Let the soup simmer for another hour and a half. At this time the chicken should be cooked and ready to be removed from the pot.
Carefully remove the hot chicken from the pot onto a baking sheet to cool. The chicken should be falling apart to ensure that it is fully cooked. Turn off the flame under the soup pot. You can also remove the Parmesan rinds and the bay leaves from the pot now too.
When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove the skin and separate the meat from the bones. Pull the meat into bite size pieces and return to the pot with the liquid and vegetables. Adjust seasoning to taste. If serving immediately bring back to a boil if not let cool and store for a later date.
Enjoy and remember if you are under the weather this will bring you back on your feet in no time.
