Mom’s Cold-Season Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 4 cups of homemade chicken stock
• Fat from the homemade chicken stock
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
• 2 celery stalks, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves
• 1 Tbsp of chopped greens from a green onion or chives
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Warm a tablespoon of the chicken fat from the top of your homemade stock in a 4 qt saucepan over medium high heat. If the stock did not leave you with quite enough fat, add a little olive oil. Stir in the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook them in the fat until the carrots are nearly tender.
2. As the vegetables cook, sprinkle in the poultry seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Adding the spices at this stage lets them bloom a bit and season the vegetables from the start.
3. Pour in the 4 cups of chicken stock and bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking until the carrots are just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the fresh parsley and the green onion greens. Taste the soup, add more salt if it needs it, and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
5. Serve with day old crusty French bread, at least.