1 large whole chicken
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 russet potatoes, peeled and large diced
4 cups corn
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Boil the whole chicken until done in a very large pot with water to cover. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Strain the pot liquid and chill until the resulting fat solidifies. Remove the meat from the chicken - using the white meat is best for this recipe, but all the meat can be used if desired.

Skim the chicken fat from the top of the chilled pot and put into a large skillet placed on medium heat. Sauté the celery, onion and garlic until cooked but not golden. Add the flour and stir into the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

In the large boiling pot with the chicken broth add the potatoes, corn and the chicken meat. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes and add the parsley and the sautéed vegetable mixture, stir to combine. The soup will become thick and rich. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In my family it was traditional to add fresh ground black pepper at serving.

Submitted by: James Bretz