
1. Using your fingers and a small sharp knife, pick off all the good leftover meat on a roast chicken. Put all the bones and gristly scraps (everything except the good meat) in a pan with 2 large carrots, 2 medium onions, 4 sticks of celery (all roughly chopped) and a bay leaf.
2. Cover with water, and bring to the boil, then simmer very gently for at least 2 hours, better still 3. Strain through a sieve, and you’ll have a wonderful chicken stock.

3. Now peel 2 more large carrots and slice into thin sticks, finely slice 3 sticks of celery and 2 leeks and finely shred 8-10 large leaves of cabbage or kale. Add these to the hot stock, and simmer away for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are just cooked.
4. If you have any leftover cooked chicken, you can chop this finely and add it too, towards the end. You can add cooked rice, potato or pasta if you want to make a proper meal of it. Taste the broth and season well before serving with some good bread.
© River Cottage