Mumma's Hearty Chicken Soup Recipe

I have delayed posting this for MONTHS. I am very reticent to part with this for some reason. I don't need it to be a secret but it feels less mine when I share it with the web. I worked so hard to perfect it.  I developed this recipe over the early part of our marriage (8 years ago). It makes a few meals. I buy one medium already roasted BBQ chicken from the grocery store. I use some of the breast meat for sandwiches, and the rest of the chicken for the soup.

I love that I can freeze this and have a meal ready for one of those nights I am just too tired to cook. It also comes in handy to give to a sick friend too, which I have done on several occasions.

You need to break up the BBQ'd chicken into little pieces, think of what veggies can fit on your spoon with chicken too when you go to eat the soup, so the pieces shouldn't be very big. (Throw out the bones or pre-make the stock with them).

Ingredients (besides the above mentioned chicken):
1-2 Tbsp of olive oil
2 celery sticks
1-2 medium carrots
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp of fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3 dried bay leaves (Take these out before serving so no one eats them by accident)
Add 2 tsp each of dried herbs of your choice like oregano, thyme,parsley etc. I prefer using fresh herbs, so if you have them handy add a generous amount (1/4 cup total).
Chicken pieces to the soup. 
2 medium potatoes, chopped (peeled or not peeled, it doesn't matter)
1/2 cup of rice.
3 Litres of chicken stock (*There's 4 cups in a litre)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

TIP: If you hate separating the Thyme from the stems then just get some cooking string and wrap the Thyme like this, and remove from the pot once the soup is done

Let's get it on:
1. In a 5.6 quarts (or 5.25 liters) pot, on medium high heat add the olive oil. When the oil is heated add the onion and stir occasionally until onion is translucent then add the next 5 ingredients. Add stock and bring to a boil.
2. Add the potatoes and rice, they will add starch to the soup making it a bit thicker. 
3 Add chicken pieces
4. Let the soup sit on medium to medium high for 45 minutes to 1 hour before eating so the flavour has time to come out, (the rice can't overcook in this recipe, really, so don't worry). Stir occasionally.
To serve always add cubed pieces of cheddar 

OPTIONAL EXTRAS:

1 cup of chopped sweet potato, and/or pumpkin but add closer to the last 15 minutes of cooking so that the pumpkin won't start to fall apart
Barley
Frozen Peas (don't add them until close to the last few minutes or you'll end up with very overcooked peas)
1 can of drained corn( put in with carrot etc...)