Chicken Soup for the Bongo Soul

No really. Actual chicken soup.

I'll try to relate what I did in hopes others might try it themselves.

I liberally salted and peppered 10 chicken thighs -- with the skin still on. Then, I browned them in batches. Once browned, they went into my big pot. The one we use to show the bunnies when they misbehaved. They were unimpressed. Sigh. I tossed in a couple sprigs of Thyme and Rosemary from the garden and two or three stalks of celery with the leaves on them. Lastly, I poured enough water over it all to submerge the chicken. I put the fire to it, and once it was good and boiling, I turned it down to the lightest simmer and covered the pot.

I simmered for at least an hour, possibly and hour and a half. Meanwhile, I cooked a cup of rice in a can of chix broth -- the low salt stuff -- and enough water to give me two cups of liquid. I let it simmer for 15 minutes, and turned it off. I turned off the chicken and let it sit while I took the dog for a walk.

Then, I took all the skin, bones, and icky bits out of the chicken and cut the meat into bite sized bits. I strained the broth. I chopped two carrots and three ribs of celery - tossed them into the big pot, added in the strained broth, the chicken, and the rice. Depending upon how much broth you get, you might want to have a can or two of broth to add if it looks more like gloop than soup. I let it cook 20 minutes on low -- just til the veggies were soft. I also added a pinch of white pepper and adjusted the salt.

It was YUMMMY! And, now, if the red army stops by, I have plenty of soup to feed them all. Even the Phenom ate a big bowl -- and soup is not a favorite on that side of the dining table.