The chicken in chicken soup may come from leftover chicken pieces, leftover meat from roasting a chicken, or chicken pieces cooked specifically for your soup.
Heat one tablespoon olive oil or drippings in a stock pot over medium heat; add the onion and sauté ~5 minutes, until the onions are translucent; add the carrots and celery; continue to cook over medium heat ~15 minutes; stir in the minced garlic, salt, pepper and
bay leaves; continue to cook ~5 minutes more.
Add the lemon juice, water and chicken broth to the pot; return the soup to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for ~30 minutes.
Add chopped/shredded cooked chicken and simmer ~15 minutes more.
Optional: Add noodles, pasta or rice, return soup to a bubbly boil, lower heat and simmer ~20 minutes more.
Taste it! If you want to adjust the flavor of your soup, add poultry seasoning, chicken bouillon, salt and/or pepper (or water) to suit yourself. If noodles, pasta or rice are not tender, continue to simmer.
