Healthy Healing Chicken Soup (recipe)

I had planned on having spaghetti squash tonight.  That didn't happen. After the soup was finished.... I couldn't resist.  I have to admit that I cannot stand cooked carrots.  I also don't like celery at all.  The thing is..... I don't mind them in this soup.  

Homemade Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
3 medium celery stalks, large dice
1/4 medium yellow onion (I left the slices pretty large so I could pick them out.  I do not to tolerate onions very well.  Therefore, you may want to add more onion)
1 bay leaf
1 T kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken, neck and giblets removed from the cavity
1 T olive oil
8 cups (2 quarts) water

Directions:
1) Place the water, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaf in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine; set aside.

2) Place the salt, pepper, and thyme in a small bowl and stir to combine; set aside.

3) Place the chicken on a work surface (I use a plastic cutting board reserved for raw meat). Pat it dry with paper towels. Cut off and discard any extra fat hanging around the body cavity. Drizzle olive oil on the chicken and rub it all over the skin. Season inside and out with the salt/pepper/thyme mixture. Place the chicken in with the vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and falling off the bones (I cooked for 6 hours on high)

4) Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet or large mixing bowl. When it’s cool enough to handle (but still warm), use your hands to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces (discard the skin, cartilage, and bones). Be thorough as you don't want to leave any bones or cartilage. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.

*Notes: I hadn’t planned on eating it tonight, so I stored the soup in ball jars. This batch filled four jars (size 3 cup).  I did go above the 3 cup line, but did not overfill.

-I really like black pepper.... so I added a few grinds to my bowl of soup.  

**Again, be careful of tiny bones and cartilage.**