Prep the Stock Pot: For the full recipe, use a 16-quart stockpot. If you’re only making half the recipe, you can use a smaller pot. Fill the 16-quart stockpot about halfway with water (make sure you use enough cold water to cover the top of the chicken) and heat it over high heat.
Prep the Chicken: If you’d like, you can place chicken into soup bags to keep everything together so it's easier to serve later on. I love using soup bags because they make cleanup so simple, but you can alternatively just add the chicken pieces to the pot of water.
Add the Aromatics: Place the onions, turnips, carrots, and celery in the stockpot. Add the herbs and optional red bell pepper to another soup bag if you’re using them, or just add them into the pot on their own as well.
Season the Soup and Bring to a Boil: Season the soup well with salt and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil.
Simmer the Soup to Cook: When the soup comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat, cover the stockpot, and simmer the soup for at least 4 hours, but preferably 8. The longer you simmer the soup, the more depth of flavor the finished product will have.
Shred the Chicken and Cool the Soup: Once the soup is done cooking, pull out the soup bags. Discard the chicken bones and the herbs. Remove the chicken pieces and shred the meat to add back into the soup.
Optional: Strain the Broth: If you’d like, you can pour the remaining broth through a fine-mesh strainer into another pot. Straining it will remove any lingering pieces of chicken, veggies, or herbs.
Serve or Store: If you’re going to eat the soup right away, add some vegetables, shredded tender chicken, and broth to each bowl. If you’d like, add a sprinkling of fresh parsley and dill to garnish your soup. If you’re planning to freeze the soup for later, divide the vegetables, chicken meat, and flavorful chicken stock between a few airtight containers. Make sure the soup has cooled completely, then freeze. I love using soup cubes to freeze chicken soup and other soups I make.