Homemade Chicken Soup

Step 1

Place chicken, onions, garlic, bay leaves, jalapeno, salt, and peppercorns in large stock pot. Cover with fresh water.

Step 2

Bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. As the soup simmers, scoop scum off the top of the soup as it forms and discard.

Step 3

Adjust the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and falling apart.

Step 4

Remove chicken and place on cutting board. Discard onions, garlic bulb, bay leaves, and peppercorns. You can choose to strain the broth, or simply use a spoon to fish out the ingredients from the broth.

Step 5

Optional: Refrigerate broth for few hours or overnight to let fat consolidate and harden on the surface of the soup. The cold fat will easily be able to be scooped off the surface of the broth.

Step 6

Bring the broth back to a simmer. Add in potatoes, carrots, and soy sauce and cook until vegetables are tender about 20-30 minutes. Note: If you would like to add noodles into this soup, do so after 10 minutes and then continue to simmer until the noodles are tender.

Step 7

Shred chicken meat, discarding bones and skin. Add in 2-3 cups of the shredded chicken and reserve the remaining chicken to use for other recipes. Add meat back into soup, cooking until just heated through.

Step 8

Squeeze with the juice of a fresh lemon. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve.