My Favorite Chicken Soup Recipe

I love the comfort that only a bowl of hot chicken soup can lend. Some may ask the philosophical question of "what makes a good chicken soup?" and I have tried to answer that question below.

What makes a good chicken soup? 
1. The cut of chicken: I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breast. I find that other cuts (like thigh) have too much fat in them. This leaves the chicken soup feeling greasy even when I skim the fat that rises to the top of the soup. However, using a fattier pieces of meat leaves the chicken itself more tender. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is my preference, but use the cut you enjoy the most.

2. Herbs: Using fresh thyme and rosemary made an adequate soup, but using just 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme rounded out the broth in a flavorful way.

3. Quality of chicken broth: Use your favorite brand (or homemade if that's your jam!). I've found that the quality of the soup is improved based on the brand of broth.


Recipe:Chicken Soup

Ingredients
2 - 3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 medium onions, peeled and medium diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary (optional)
1.25 to 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

Method
1. In large soup pot, season carrots, onion, and celery with salt and pepper and sauté until softened
2: Add garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute). Add dried and fresh herbs and cook for 1 minute.
3 Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil.
4.. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
5. Once broth is at a boil, bring it down to a simmer and add chicken breasts
6.. Poach chicken in broth until cooked through (165 degrees). This takes about 15 minutes but depends on size.
7. Take chicken out of broth, let cool slightly, and shred with two forks.
8. Remove thyme and rosemary stems.
8. Add chicken back to broth and bring soup to a boil (I do this to ensure everything is at proper temperature)
9. Adjust seasoning (I'll add salt at 1/4 tsp at a time until it tastes well seasoned!)

Note: The amount of ingredients may need to be adjusted if scaling the recipe upward.

Let me know in the comments what tips and tricks you use to make your chicken soup the best!