Chicken Soup with Rice and Kale

Serves 8

1 whole pastured chicken
1 – 2 tablespoons organic chicken soup concentrate or base
5 carrots, peeled, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 bay leaves
Sea salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3 cups chopped kale

Place chicken in a large soup pot. Add water to cover by 2 inches, bay leaves, and chicken broth concentrate. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Simmer partly covered, occasionally skimming off foam from surface, about 1 hour, or until chicken starts falling off the bone.

With a slotted spoon or tongs, carefully remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Add carrots, celery, and onions. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add rice and kale and simmer, uncovered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove skin and bone from chicken and cut meat into bite-size pieces. (Save the chicken carcass to make chicken stock.) Add at least half of the chicken back into pot (reserve remaining chicken for another use) along with the tarragon and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.