Guest Post: Chicken Soup

Today I have a guest post by my fellow culinary-minded classmate, Andrew. Super excited about this one, he's a pretty awesome cook. Check it out!

I like simple, modular recipes that highlight the flavor of the main ingredients. I also tend to use more aromatic vegetables than most recipes call for. The recipe below is actually three in one: a simple roasted chicken main course, a brown chicken stock to keep on-hand in your freezer, and a soup chock-full of veggie chunks and with a rich roasted chicken flavor.

Chicken Soup [3]:
Meat from 1 Roast Chicken [1]
½ gallon Chicken Stock [2]
Two pounds of onions
One bunch celery
One bunch carrots
4 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
3 Fresh or frozen thyme sprigs
Black pepper
Salt

[1]
Pre-heat oven to 450 F
Remove giblets from whole chicken and pat dry with paper towels. If desired, remove wishbone. Generously salt the inside and outside of the bird. If using, insert probe thermometer into the deepest region of the breast. Place on a rimmed baking sheet or oven-safe skillet and bake for about 1 h, or until the thermometer registers 156 F, or until skin is golden brown and crispy. Let rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the interior temperature to rise to 165 F (if using only for soup it’s OK if the meat is slightly underdone). Remove breasts, legs, and wings (secretly eat the oysters, they’re the best part). Reserve pan drippings.
[2]
Add chicken carcass and pan drippings to a pot or slow cooker and cover with water. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 4-12 hours, or until the bones crush to moderate pressure. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer (with two layers of cheesecloth if clarity is desired). Refrigerate and remove (and reserve) the layer of fat on top.
[3]
Dice onions, carrots, and celery. Mince or crush garlic. Cover the bottom of a large pot in a thin layer of olive oil and/or rendered chicken fat. Add in onions, carrots, and celery, salt and pepper lightly, and cook; adding garlic a few minutes after the other veggies. When onions are translucent add in chicken stock and three springs thyme and bring to a simmer. While soup is simmering chop chicken meat into bite-sized pieces. Add in chicken and simmer on low until chicken is heated through. Taste the stock and add pepper and salt in increments until the stock tastes intense but not salty (the amount varies depending on the salt level from the roasted chicken and stock). If you want to know what taste you’re going for try ladling a small bowl of soup and salting until just past your desired level of seasoning. When soup is seasoned allow it to simmer for at least 15 minutes, and serve over rice or with a side of crusty bread. The soup will be even better the next day.