Methods/steps

Heat a heavy soup pot on medium-high. Add the oil, then add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper, and then add the chicken stock to the pot to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and cover, then turn off the heat and leave on the stove for 30 to 45 minutes.

When the chicken is easily pulled off the bone, take it out of the pot and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, bone the chicken and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Add the meat back to the soup.

This is a basic chicken soup. You can transform the basic chicken soup into any of the variations below. But when making any of them, don’t add the chicken back to the pot until you are almost ready to serve, for just enough time to bring the chicken to the temperature of the soup. If you boil the chicken too long it will become tough.

VARIATIONS:
Chicken Noodle: add your favorite cooked pasta.
Chicken Vegetable: add squash, potatoes, green beans,
   tomatoes—whatever is in the farm basket.
Chicken Posole: add chili puree (see recipe below) and
   canned white hominy.