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First you need some home-made chicken stock.
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Don't use store bought powder, it's NOT hard to make - I promise you this as a former kitchen assassin turned food-lover!
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To make stock:.
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Bring 3 L of water to a boil in a 4-6 L pot.
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(Needs to be big enough it won't spill over once all ingredients are added.
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).
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Add the chicken frames, a good dash of salt (about 1 T give or take) and the bay leaves.
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You will add more salt later but this helps to extract the maximum flavor from the chicken.
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Reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour covered, skimming occasionally.
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Do not simmer for too much longer than this or the bones start to decalcify and make the stock bitter flavoured.
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In the meantime:.
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Clean and rough chop 2.5 kg of potatos, set aside.
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Clean and rough chop 1 large leek, set aside.
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You're going to puree it all once it's nice and soft from cooking so don't obsess over getting perfect, small diced cubes (unless you're a chef and that's your thing -- ) you just want it chopped up enough so that they'll cook out nicely in the pot.
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Back to the stock: your hour of simmering is done and VOILA -- you have stock!
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(Told you it was easy!)
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Now remove the chicken frames, set aside.
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Strain the stock so that you catch any fine bones that may have come loose while simmering.
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Add the leek.
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Add the potato.
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Boil till soft.
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(Aproximately 30 min, varies depending on how big the pot is and how thick you cut your veggies.)
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Once the chicken frames are cool to a temperature you can handle them, chip whatever meat there is off.
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Set the meat aside.
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Pluck out the bay leaves.
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Whiz soup till smooth.
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We use a bar mixer personally.
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Return chicken meat to pot.
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Add salt and pepper to taste - for those who aren't familiar, this means add a bit, stir it well, let the flavors mingle for a minute or two, spoon a bit out and taste to tell if it suits your preferences.
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Don't be afraid of the salt -- one of the basic tenants of cheffing is that salt equals flavor.
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Soup is now ready to eat but if you prefer a thicker soup, allow to simmer uncovered to reduce, till it's as thick as you like.
