Wash, clean, and chop vegetables. Gather seasonings.
Ensure that chicken is thoroughly defrosted and packet of offal is removed from inside the bird. Discard all liquid from packaging.
Boiling the Chicken
In a large pot, bring water, seasonings and vegetables to a boil. Add the chicken last.
Once it comes back to a rolling boil after adding the chicken, reduce heat to a gentle boil and cover with a lid (but leave it slightly vented). No lid? Use aluminum foil.
For every 1 pound of chicken (check label on the plastic wrapper -or- your receipt), boil the chicken for 15 minutes. For example, if your chicken is 4 lbs, it should boil for 60 minutes.
Once the cook time has elapsed, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid with tongs. Let all the excess liquid drip back into the pot.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes per pound. If your chicken is 4 lbs, it should rest for 20 minutes.This should keep the chicken from losing its moisture.
Once rested, you can break down the chicken by pulling the meat from the bones (keep the bones though!!). Cool the meat quickly, label and store it no more than 5 days in a refrigerator or 3 months in a freezer.
Don't Forget the Broth!
Since you kept the bones, throw those back in the large pot with the rest of the cooking liquid and let it reduce for as long as you'd prefer. Surprise!---You've got bonus Chicken Broth!