Ye Olde Tavern Life

"In January

it's so nice

while slipping

on the sliding ice

to sip hot chicken soup with rice.

Sipping once

Sipping twice

- Maurice Sendak, In January

Chicken Soup with Rice

1 2-pound rotisserie chicken

3 celery ribs

1 large onion, quartered and left unpeeled

6 fresh parsley sprigs plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

4 14 1/2-ounce cans chicken broth plus 2 cans low-sodium chicken broth

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1/2 cup uncooked long or short grain white rice.

1. Remove meat from chicken, reserving skin and bones. Coarsely chop 1 celery rib and place in a 6- to 8-quart pot along with chicken bones and skin, onion, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, both chicken broths and 6 cups water.

2. Simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour. Meanwhile, shred enough chicken meat to yield 1 1/2 cups (pieces about 1 inch long and 1/4 inch thick), reserving remaining meat for another use. Cut remaining celery ribs into 1/4-inch dice.

3. Pour chicken broth through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot, pressing hard on solids with back of a spoon, then discarding them. If necessary, skim fat. Add carrots, diced celery and rice.

4. Simmer, partly covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and rice is very soft, about 30 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken and chopped parsley. Serve hot.

Yield: About 2 1/2 quarts.