Second Day Chicken Soup

Directions

1. 1
   In 8 quart dutch oven (heavy pot), combine chicken & trimmings/bones, water, broth, boullion cubes, bay leaf, cream soup & seasonings.
2. 2
   Bring to a boil.
3. 3
   Reduce heat, cover & simmer 90 minutes.
4. 4
   Strain the soup to separate liquid from the chicken and bones.
5. 5
   (this is the tricky part.
6. 6
   What works for me is to pour the whole mixture into a large strainer over a large bowl.
7. 7
   Then move the broth in the bowl back into the dutch oven.
8. 8
   ).
9. 9
   Allow the chicken to cool a bit in the strainer, then separate the chicken from the bones, returning the chicken to the broth and discarding the bones, etc.
10. 10
    Stir in barley or rice and return to a boil.
11. 11
    Reduce heat, cover & simmer 30 minutes.
12. 12
    Add veggies & simmer an additional 25-30 minutes.
13. 13
    *You can substitue or add other veggies, etc.
14. 14
    A word of caution for noodles, though.
15. 15
    While they taste great, they absorb a lot of the liquid, so leftovers end up with somewhat bloated noodles and not much broth.
16. 16
    It still tastes nice, but doesn't look as appealing :-).