Basic Chicken Stock

6 Chicken Thighs bone in and with skin on
1 Brown Onion
5 Large Loose Carrots - peeled
5 Stalks Celery - Peeled
Salt and Pepper
2 Quarts Fresh Water
Olive Oil

Optional for Chicken Soup:
3 Large Loose Carrots - peeled and sliced
1-2 Medium Potatoes - peeled and diced
Bok Choy
Green Onions
Leeks or whatever vegetables you prefer
Pasta such as vermicelli, capellini, angel hair pasta, etc.

Rinse and pat dry chicken.

Sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper (I use a high quality sea salt - a smoked Chardonnay salt - but use what you prefer).

Heat a stock pot and coat the bottom with the olive oil. Add the chicken, skin side down. Don't touch for  a few minutes then check if the skin is golden brown. Then turn over and add:

The onion, top and end off, peeled, cut in half and each half quartered.
The carrots, peeled, cut tops and ends off (about an eight of an inch each side), and cut in about 2 inch chunks

The celery, peeled and cut in similar sizes as the carrots
The water

Cover and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer with the lid askew for about 20 minutes. Check the chicken. It should be floating. With tongs, remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Continue to simmer the chicken stock.  When the chicken is cooled enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and replace the bones and skin in the stock.  Refrigerate the meat until ready to use.  Continue to simmer the stock for at least 3 hours.  Strain.

This is the basic stock.  To make chicken soup, peel and slice thinly 3 more carrots and add whatever vegetables you like, such as peeled and diced potato, green onions, bok choy, leeks, etc. and cook in the hot broth until fork tender.  Take the chicken from the refrigerator and take out any sinew, fat, etc. and divide into pieces and place in the broth.  Add large pieces of vermicelli, capellini, angel hair pasta or whatever you like and cook until just tender as the package instructions.  Taste for seasoning.