Homemade Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is one of my all time favorite meals. It's so wholesome and always makes me content after I've eaten it. This chicken soup is packed full of healthy veggies, homemade stock and hearty chicken. You can prepare your chicken/stock whenever you have time during the week to make putting this soup together a breeze. You will absolutely love the way this soup fills your entire house with comforting aromas.

Homemade Chicken Soup

• 1-2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 celery ribs, thinly sliced 
• 6 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 pack white or crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 2 medium zucchini squash, halved and sliced 
• *2 large bone in skin on chicken breasts or 6 bone in skin on chicken thighs or whole chicken
• (*see notes below) 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon seal salt

*Prepare your chicken two ways:

1. The day before make a crock pot roasted chicken using the chicken & stock for soup.
2. Place whatever type of chicken you decide to use (bone in skin on breast, thighs etc or whole) into a large stock pot with at least 2 quarts (8 cups) of water. Bring to a boil & then place a lid on the pot and simmer on medium/low heat until chicken is completely done and falling off bone. This will take only a short time for the thighs (30-45 minutes) but a whole chicken will take considerably longer (1 1/2-2 hours depending on size). Make sure you plan for this! When chicken is done, remove from pot, pull off bones and set aside for soup, keeping your stock the chicken boiled in on hand for the soup as well. 

1. On medium heat in a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat coconut oil, adding onion, half of your carrots and half of your celery. Let cook for 7-9 minutes until onions are translucent and veggies are softening. 
2. Add the dried oregano, dried basil, bay leaf and salt. Give it a stir & then add the rest of your carrots, celery, zucchini & mushrooms, stirring and cooking for two minutes more. 
3. Add two quarts (8 cups) of homemade chicken stock into the pot as well as the chicken you've prepared. If you don't have 8 full cups of homemade chicken stock, add whatever you have & substitute what you do not have with filtered water. You may need to adjust the spices and salt to compensate for flavor. 
4. Bring soup to a steady boil, then reduce heat to simmer until the veggies are soft. The soup can stay at a low simmer with a lid on until you're ready to serve it. 
5. Add more salt & pepper to taste if desired, and enjoy! 

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