6 Servings for a hearty meal

We think this soup is just what the doctor would order! It is not only delicious, but it really makes you perk up if you are feeling under the weather or just want to wrap yourself up with a big bowl of comfort.

1 whole chicken, cut up

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

Water to cover the chicken completely in a pot

Dash of salt and pepper

Prepare the chicken and cover with water in a large cooking pot. Add the garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Boil until the chicken is cooked through and begins to fall off the bone.

Remove the chicken from the pot and separate out the bones, skin and fat from the meat.

Save the meat in a separate bowl.

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch pieces

4 medium-sized ribs of celery, sliced into ¼- to ½-inch pieces

½ cup chopped parsley

Optional: 1 cup of small-size pasta, barley or rice

Put vegetables and the pasta or rice into the pot of soup and cook for 30 minutes.

If you have a separator, use it to skim off the chicken fat at the top of the pot. Otherwise, the best way to remove the chicken fat is to put the entire pot in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight, then skim off the solid fat from the top of the pot.

Reheat the soup, add the cooked chicken, make any adjustments to the seasoning and serve hot.

Lauren Cohn-Sarabia

Comfort of Home Catering