Get-well-soon Chicken Soup

So, once you have roasted your perfect chicken (as per the recipe here), you will more than likely be saddled with some leftovers. So far as I'm concerned, it's far too much effort not to take advantage of them (otherwise, what was the point in keeping the leftovers? Sheesh!) - but chicken, as I'm sure you know, can be fiddly to remove from the carcass and a pain in the bum to strip from the bone. Not so if you follow the lazy cook methodology! Sure, there is probably 20 minutes of actual effort required- but the rest is pretty easy (particularly if, like me, you have discovered the joys of crushed garlic in a tube!).

I came up with this recipe this arvo, after discovering my mother was in a grump due to a cold, and simultaneously reading this article in the NYT.

You will need:
leftovers from your roast chicken (plus leftover gravy/pan juices if you saved them)
3 Tbsp olive oil
750 ml boiling water
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 onion
1 large Nadine potato
1 large carrot
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cobs fresh sweet corn

Large saucepan
Large bowl
Chopping board
Knife
Wooden spoon
Colander/Sieve

1. Wash your hands with a good antibacterial soap.
2. Wash your hands again.
3. Strip as much meat from the carcass as you can (or can be bothered to get). Omit any skin and bones. Set the meat aside.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat.
   
5. Put the rest of the carcass, skin and bones into saucepan and allow to brown slightly.
6. Add boiling water, cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
7. While simmering, finely dice onion
8. Cut potato and carrots into cubes.
9. Remove corn kernels from cob.
10. Check flavour of simmering stock after 30 minutes. If it tastes like chicken, it's pretty much done. If not, allow to simmer for 10 more minutes.
11. Once stock flavour has developed, strain contents of saucepan over bowl. Discard bones, skin and gristle; retain liquid for later.
12. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to (now empty) saucepan. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
13. Add cubed potatoes and celery; saute until potato starts to soften. If potato sticks, add remaining olive oil. (Keep stirring or else this will end very poorly!)
    
14. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until mushrooms start to brown and soften. Once the mushrooms start to release their liquid, add retained stock and chicken pieces.
    
15. Add corn kernels.
16. Simmer for 1 hour, or until potato is meltingly tender.

OK, so this is slightly more effort and higher in complexity than the recipes I usually favour. But I promise you, this soup is worth it (and much easier and cheaper than most chicken soups!)