Ingredients

  • 8 bone in chicken thighs
  • Italian parsley
  • onion
  • celery choose some that have lots of leaves in the middle...not just stalks
  • bouquet Herb, create this using cheesecloth..or if you don't have it, I used a coffee filter and tied it off: 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 4 whole cloves or allspice berries, 3 large cloves of smashed unpeeled garlic
  • 2 boxes low sodium chicken broth or chicken bouillon cubes
  • French vermouth
  • dry white wine
  • carrots baby or sliced
  • peas
  • spinach ..if you like it
  • egg noodles

Method

  • I trim a bit of the fat off the thighs and place them in a large sauce pot. I peel the onion and halve it and add that to the pot. I take a hand full of parsley (trimming the ends a bit) and throw that in. Then I cut all the leaves from the celery along with two or three stalks halved and throw that in. Add the herb bouquet as well. Lastly, I add water to cover all ingredients to about an inch or so over. Bring to a boil and then let simmer at least an hour and a half to two hours (may need more)...the chicken should fall off the bone when removed. You may want to season with some salt and pepper.
  • Once chicken is ready, remove all ingredients placing the chicken on a cutting board and discarding all the rest. Remove the skins and any extra fat and shred the chicken.
  • Prep for soup:
  • Add chicken back to soup. Pour in both boxes of chicken broth and a cup to a cup and a half of the wine.
  • I use baby carrots and just toss in a couple of handfuls (more or less depending on your taste) I mince up some celery (don't care for large chunks) and toss that in. I let this simmer till the carrots are tender. During this time I also add additional seasoning to my taste...usually some garlic powder, a bit of dried thyme, some pepper. Just before serving I add a cup or two of frozen peas. Cook till warm and serve over egg noodles. For the husband and I, we spice it up with some red pepper flakes. And of course, some crusty bread for dipping.
  • (most people add potatoes, however, my husband is not a fan so I leave them out. If you want to use them, add them before adding the carrots. When they are almost tender, then throw the carrots in.)