Homemade Chicken Soup

Ingredients (serves 6)

2 whole chickens

3 medium sized carrots

2 white onions

1 head of celery

1 bunch of thyme

1 bay leaf

2 oz olive oil

1 c white wine

1 gallon water

Salt

Pepper

Directions

First, heat your oven up to 400 degrees. Rub the two chickens with a little bit of salt and pepper and cook in the oven for 45 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, take two of the carrots. Peel them and carefully fine dice them, reserving the third carrot for the chicken stock you will make as the base for your soup. Do the same with one of the onions and about half the head of celery. With the remaining vegetables, rough chop them into smaller pieces and set aside for later.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, set it aside to cool for about 20 minutes. When the chicken has cooled down enough to handle, you will then remove the breast, legs, and thigh meat. Return the leftover chicken carcasses to the oven for another 10 minutes to brown. While they are browning, get yourself a large, deep soup pot.

Turn the stove on medium heat. Add the olive oil, the rough chopped vegetables, bay leaf, and the thyme into the pot. Gently stir the vegetables, then add the wine. Let cook for one minute and then add the water.

When the chicken carcasses are browned, add them into the pot as well. Bring the pot to a boil for 20 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for another two hours. While the stock is reducing, you can cut the chicken meat into bite-sized pieces. After the two hours are up, strain the stock into a large container and return the liquid to the empty pot, adding the diced vegetables and chicken. Cook on high heat for another 10 minutes.

Salt and pepper the final product to suit your individual taste, and enjoy on a cold afternoon or evening.