Skin a chicken and simmer it in about 3 quarts of water for most of a day. Pour this into another pot through a colander, so the broth is separated from the bones/meat. Tease apart with a fork into bite-sized chunks of meat and add to soup, or save for enchiladas or some other dish. (you can refrigerate at this point overnight and in the morning skim off the fat).

Saute in some of this cooking liquid:

1 chopped onion
8-10 cloves of garlic, peeled but not crushed

When softened and a little browned, add:

3-4 or more chopped carrots
3-6 stalks chopped celery
2 small red potatoes, cut into at least 8 pieces each
A good handful or two of green beans, chopped in 1-inch segments

to the skillet, stir, and put a lid on and continue to heat gently/on low heat until the vegetables are softened.

Add approx 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend and a healthy amount of black pepper and mix well.
Other vegetables also can be added – I often throw in some zucchini at this point.

Then add the vegetables to the chicken and chicken cooking water, and simmer for at least another 30 minutes. Add another cup or two of water if it has cooked down too much.

~2 tablespoons of Better than Boullion chicken broth concentrate can be added for flavor, if needed. Cooked noodles or cooked rice may also be added just before serving.

8-10 servings