It’s Autumn. The mornings and evenings are cold out. Time for chicken soup.

Happy Autumn 2008 to all of you mmm-yoso!!! readers.  Today is Friday and it is time for another $5 for two meal, written by Cathy.

Hi everyone. Boy have we had some cool evenings lately.  It is soup weather.  Coincidentally, chicken thighs and legs are on sale for 99¢ a pound at Vons this week, as is celery.  You can buy carrots individually for less than a dollar a pound and can find some onions for that same price.  This is all you really need.  If you like, you could put some sort of starch in the soup, like noodles or rice or potatoes, but even that is not necessary.  Chicken soup is *so* easy.

For the discount price, chicken is sold in this bulk package.  I used 5 thighs in my 4 Quart stock pot and there were 15 thighs in this package.  Thigh meat has more flavor than breast meat and there is only one bone to remove. I think thighs are easier to work with than legs.

You will also need these three ingredients: celery, carrots and onion.  The flavorful trinity known as a mirepoix.

Chop these. Use the celery leaves.

Put the chopped vegetables ( I used 5 carrots, 1.5 onions and the whole celery) and the chicken thighs, skin and all into the pot, fill with water, put on low heat and cover.

Don't add salt or pepper-those can be added at the table.

Oh.  This is how you make stock, by the way.  You don't have to cook this in broth or other canned flavorings.  

Simmer on low with the lid on for about an hour.  Remove the thighs, let cool.

When cool, remove skin and bones and shred the chicken meat with your hands.

You can skim fat off the top of the soup while these are cooling.

Put some ice cubes in a clean dish towel, twist and then run the towel over the top of the soup.  A good amount of the fat will cling to the cold towel and even go through it and congeal on the ice. Another way is to put the whole pot in the fridge for about an hour and then skim the congealed fat off the top.

Reheat the whole thing, ading back the chicken meat and some Herbes de Provence and/or garlic powder or other spices if you wish.   

At this point, just about 10 minutes before serving, you can toss in some rice or noodles or even potatoes.     

Alphabet pasta works well, too.

Cathy's basic chicken soup

5 chicken thighs, 5 carrots, 1 bunch celery, onion, Herbe de Provence, water. (You can add any herbs pretty much in any amount.  Spices are a whole other ballgame)