This recipe came from an unknown magazine. Judging from the comments that accompanied the recipe, apparently the magazine was running a Chicken Recipe contest.

Mama Bina's Italian Chicken Soup No Chicken Recipe Contest worth its bouillon would be complete without a recipe for chicken soup. This recipe was submitted by Renata Pagliaro and Maureen Vieck of Cuperino, Ca. Renata writes: "I can remember as a child my mother would prepare chicken soup at least once a week for dinner. Typical of children, I thought that soup was boring (hardly to be compared to a hot dog!) and I also thought it was some strange dish that only Italians ate.

"Now that I am older and ore sophisticated (enough to even like spinach!), I have come to appreciate my mother's chicken soup. It is delicate and so simple taht it is actually elegant. To top all of that, it is easy to make, nutritious and low in calories."

salt to taste

Wash the chicken pieces and remove as much skin as possible. Put the chicken into a large dutch oven, fill with water and cook over high heat. When the water boils, skim off the foam that comes to the surface and discard.

When no more foam appears, put the carrots and parsley into the pot with the chicken. Lower the heat to a simmer so taht the water doesn't boil down. Do not cover. Add salt to taste and check every so often for flavor.

Allow to cook for 1-1/2 hours. You may prepare rice or pastina in the meantime and set it aside. After soup has cooked, remove the chicken from the pot with a slotted spoon. Take the chicken off the bones and tear into bite-sized pieces and place back into the broth.

Put the cooked and strained pastina or rice into the soup and allow to heat through. Just before serving, you may add a little butter for flavor.

Serve hot with a crusty French bread and a bottle of white wine. This soup