Chicken Soup I

Instructions

Put the chicken thighs in a pot of cold or room-temperature water and set it on the stove over heat to bring it up to a boil. As the water warms, a foam will collect on the surface before it boils.

Skim off the foam and any debris with a large spoon or a small strainer, and discard it in a separate container. This is what keeps the broth clear.

Lift the thighs out of the pot and chop them into roughly bite-sized pieces on a board. They may fall apart as you handle them, which is fine. While the chicken is out, you can skim the broth further if you want it clearer.

Return the chicken pieces to the pot. Add the carrots cut into bite-sized chunks, the celery cut crosswise into slices 5 to 10 mm thick, the dill and the stock.

Bring the pot back to a simmer. Cook for at least 30 minutes, though an hour is better and longer still improves it, until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have blended.

Salt lightly to taste. Leave extra salt for each person to add at the table.

If you like noodles, cook them separately, drain them and add them to individual bowls before ladling in the soup. Rice vermicelli needs only two minutes and can go straight into the bowls, and barley works in place of noodles. For a thicker, stew-like broth, stir some flour into a cup of the finished soup and then stir that mixture back into the pot.