Friday Recipe: Chicken and Ginger Soup

I read this recipe in the January 2012 Bon Appétit magazine. It was in a section on how to cleanse and restore yourself after the overindulgance of the holidays. (Their photo, not mine.) I altered this recipe because I don't like ginger and when you eat it as is it's hot.

Ingredients:
1 onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
8 ounces unpeeled scrubbed ginger, cut into 1/2"-thick slices (I recommend less. Far, far less unless you absolutely adore ginger and don't mind the overpowering flavor of it!)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
10 whole black peppercorns
1 3-pound whole organic chicken, cut into 7 pieces (2 breasts, 2 legs with thighs attached, 2 wings, 1 back) (I used Perdue. Were they organic? Nope. But they were delicious!)
Kosher salt
Cilantro leaves (optional--which I didn't add)


Preparation:

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large heavy pot. Add chicken, placing breasts on top. Add 6 quarts water (preferably filtered or spring water--my water isn't so bad that boiling it won't kill whatever I need to); bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cover with lid slightly ajar. Reduce heat to low; simmer until chicken breasts are just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a plate; let cool, then cover and chill. Continue to simmer soup, uncovered, until broth is fully flavored, about 2 1/2 hours longer. Return breasts to soup to rewarm, about 5 minutes.

Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, coarsely shred meat; discard skin and bones. Place a fine-mesh sieve over another large pot; strain broth, discarding solids in strainer (you should have about 8 cups broth). Season with salt.

Rewarm soup. Divide chicken among bowls. Pour hot broth over, dividing equally. Garnish soup with cilantro leaves, if desired.