Francie's Chicken Soup






Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
2 packets chicken bouillon (low salt if possible)
1 medium onion
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 skinned fresh tomatoes, or 1 small can chopped tomatoes
Fresh chopped parsley (or dried)
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup fine pasta, such as orzo, alphabets, or fine egg noodles.

Place chicken in pot and cover with water.   Add onion, roughly chopped, along with salt and pepper.  Cover, and simmer chicken for 1 hour.  Skim off fat.  If you make the soup the day before, it is easier to scoop once congealed.

Remove chicken from pot, and set to cool.  Strain chicken stock.  Add chopped carrots, celery, and tomatoes, bouillon, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.  

Boil pasta in separate pot, so soup does not become too thick.
Shred white meat from chicken and add to soup with fresh parsley, and pasta.

A leftover chicken carcass works perfectly also.  Use less water, and have low-salt chicken stock on hand to supplement if you want more broth.

This soup recipe was given to me by a family friend named Frances, who barely speaks English.  She was raised on a farm in Italy and great cook.  She taught me that simple is better, and fresh ingredients are the key to a great soup!