Pepper Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Whole chicken (Cut into pieces)
• 8 cups Water (Or enough to cover the chicken)
• 1 medium Carrot (Peeled and chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Salt (Or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon Black peppercorns (Whole)
• 1 medium Onion (Peeled and quartered)
• 2 stalks Celery stalks (Chopped)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 cup Dry white wine (Optional)
• 1 teaspoon Beef extract (Such as Bovril or Marmite, optional)
• 1 cup Heavy cream (Optional)
• 0 to taste Salt (To taste)
• 0 to taste Black pepper (Freshly ground, to taste)

Instructions

1. 1Rinse the chicken and cut it into pieces. You can use a whole chicken or chicken pieces like thighs and drumsticks.
2. 2Place the chicken pieces in a large pot. Add water to cover the chicken. Add the carrot, salt, peppercorns, onion, celery, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil quickly, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently until the chicken is tender (about 1 hour).
3. 3Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. Discard the solids.
4. 4Chill the strained stock in the refrigerator until the fat solidifies on the surface. Remove the solidified fat with a spoon.
5. 5Reheat the stock in a pot. Shred the chicken meat and add it back to the pot. Stir in the wine (if using), beef extract (if using), and cream (if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat through.