8 cups Chicken Broth

8 medium bone-in, skinless chicken thighs

{Modification/shortcuts - it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you just shredded purchased roasted chicken - but keep in mind the dark meat is more flavourful. AND/OR while the bones are meant to add flavour, I think skinless/boneless thighs work fine.]

I use Better Than Bouillon chicken broth concentrate. It already has a nice flavour - that will be boosted by poaching the chicken in the broth. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, add the thighs to the broth and, with the lid on, bring it to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low for 20-30 minutes. Remove the thighs from the broth and, when cool enough to handle, de-bone the thighs - breaking the chicken into bite/spoon size bits - discarding the bones. Set the bite-size chicken bits aside.

You WILL be using this broth, but for now, pour it into another container and set aside. You may have to top it up if it no longer measures 8 cups.)

By transferring the broth to a large measuring cup or container you can use the same Dutch oven in the remaining steps.

1 pkg (272 - 340 g) thin or thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1/4 to 1/3 inch strips

1 Vidalia (sweet) onion, minced
2 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1/3 cup flour (Easy Blend or regular)

(Never too much bacon is what I say.) Cook the bacon in the Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp (not burned) and transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

One cannot predict how much fat will be rendered. If it’s more than 1/4 cup you can pour some off to avoid a soup that is too greasy.

Saute the onion to translucent (not burned) in the bacon fat. Stir in the garlic and thyme blooming for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

Whisk in the broth gradually to avoid lumps.

1 carrot, peeled and sliced in half and then into 1/4 inch thick pieces

3-4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 - 1.5 cup frozen corn niblets

Carrots take longer to cook than potatoes so add these first and bring the broth to a gentle boil. Stir in the potatoes after about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook another 10 minutes or so until the veggies are tender.

Stir in the corn and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or so.

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and ground black pepper

[ Substitute Table Cream or Half and Half if desired.} Stir in the cream and return the soup to a simmer. Stir in the shredded chicken and at least half the cooked bacon - leaving enough for a garnish.

Heat the soup to serving temperature. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with bacon.