Chicken, Ham, And Rice Soup (Canja) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken, halved
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup long grain rice
3/4 cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup young carrot, scraped and diced
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
3/4 cup cooked ham, diced
1 tablespoon parsley, preferably flat continental type, chopped

Preparation

In a saucepan combine the chicken, onion, and chicken stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat until the chicken is tender (about 45 minutes).
Lift the chicken out onto a platter and set aside.
Strain the stock through a sieve set over a bowl.
Discard the solids and skim off as much fat as possible from the stock.
Rinse out the saucepan and return the stock to it.
Add the rice, tomatoes and carrots.
Taste for seasoning, add salt if necessary and freshly ground pepper.
Bring to a simmer and cook until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle remove the skin and bones and cut into strips about 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches.
Return the chicken to the saucepan with the ham and cook just long enough to heat through.
Add the parsley and serve.