1 whole chicken or 2 -3 pounds, chicken parts
2 – 3 cloves whole garlic, put through a garlic press
1 large onion, sliced or diced
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 handful parsley
salt, pepper, red pepper
Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat with enough olive oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Saute onion, carrots and celery, stirring frequently as they sweat. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Add garlic through a garlic press once the vegetables have let off some liquid so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the chicken and cover with chicken broth or water. Bring to a rolling boil. Add about 1/2 cup of chopped Italian parsley and parmesan rinds. Stir and simmer about 1 hour, until chicken pulls off of the bone easily.
Remove the chicken, de-skin, debone and cut into bite sized pieces. Return chicken to the pot. At this point you can add rice, pasta or dumplings – or just serve as is. Sometimes I add frozen peas, spinach, or kale for an added vegetable and bright green color.
