Low Carb Chicken Zoodle Soup

Place hen in a large stock pot.

Cut each carrot and stalk of celery into 3 large chunks and place on top of the chicken. Cut the onion into large chunks and place on top of the carrots and celery. Place wrapped parsley and bay leaves on top of the vegetables.

Fill two steel diffusers (or a tea ball) with black peppercorns and place in the stock pot. This doesn’t have to be an accurate measurement, just fill it up. In a separate diffuser, do the same with star anise.

Pour chicken broth over top of everything in the stock pot (see note). Fill the rest of the pot up with water, until all the ingredients are just covered. Bring pot to a boil over high heat and then turn down to medium/low and cover and simmer for the whole day (or at least 8 hours.)

Once stock is done simmering, remove veggies and set aside (see note). Remove the chicken (it will just fall off the bone) and place onto a plate. Skim the fat and any little floaty bits off the top of the stock.

Remove any excess fat from the chicken, shred and set aside.

Taste stock to see if it needs any additional salt, or any additional chicken broth, depending on the “chickeny” flavor that you like.

Gently press out any excess moisture from the zoodles with a paper towel and then divide between bowls. Ladle stock over top and add shredded chicken. Devour!

Notes:
• You may consider using chicken broth “cheating,” but I like the extra flavour it provides. Feel free to use only water if you wish.
• You may chop up the veggies and put them in the soup if you wish, or just discard.