Amanda Love is a total inspiration http://thebarefootcook.com/ ! And she inspired this soup, which can be infinite varied with different types of veggies, etc. I find that it works best to simmer the chicken in the highly-seasoned brother the day before, and then refrigerate the chicken separately overnight. The next day, you can picked the meat off the carcass and proceed with the recipe without burning your hands. All measurements are approximate; add more spices for a spicy soup, add less if you are timid (but these measurements produced a soup that my boys slurped up with no complaint, and they don't love spicy).
--2 quarts water
--1 3-lb chicken, with giblets
--1 1/2 T. ground cumin
--1 1/2 T. umeboshi plum vinegar
--1 T. mild chile powder
--1 T. sweet paprika
--1 T. ground coriender
--1 tsp. salt
--1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
--1 small onion, chopped
--6 cloves garlic, chopped
Put all these things in a pot, bring to a boil, and immediately lower the heat. Simmer for about three hours, or until the meat is practically falling off the bones.
Remove the chicken giblets, and discard. Remove the meat from the bones, along with all edible soft tissue/cartilage, and save the bones for more broth-making (or discard them).
Skim some chicken fat and use it to saute the following:
--2 onions, chopped
--6 stalks celery, diced
When this is translucent and lovely, add:
--2 diced carrots
--1/2 cabbage, diced
--1 bunch kale (including most of the stems), chopped bite-size
--more minced garlic, to taste
--a handful of chopped parsley
--1/2 tsp. or more of each of the spices you added to the broth (skip additional chile powder if you want a mild version)
--1 T. umeboshi vinegar
Stir for a few minutes, and then add the highly-seasoned reserved chicken broth, along with the chicken meat (shredded).
Bring to a boil, and immediately turn down the heat and simmer for another hour or two, until everything is perfectly tender and melts in your mouth. Stir in:
--Juice from one or two limes, and more salt to taste if necessary.
Enjoy!