Dad'S Chicken Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 cups canned low sodium chicken broth (or more--I usually use more like 12)
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice (or pasta)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
2 cups diced cooked chicken
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Bring first five ingredients to boil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over high heat.
Mix in rice and thyme.
Return soup to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until rice is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Add chicken and simmer until heated through, thinning with additional broth if desired.
Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer soup to large bowl.
Garnish with parsley and serve.
Note: if using pasta instead of rice, add it with the chicken and simmer until the pasta is tender.
I like corkscrew pasta in this.