Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Soup

2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts

2 carrots, roughly chopped (add the fronds if attached to the carrot)

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

2 leeks, the top green portion removed for the stock (save white portion for the soup)

2 lemons - squeezed in the stock and carcasses added

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup fresh dill

1 tablespoon peppercorns

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

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2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

2 leeks (the white and light green part only), cleaned and sliced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

8 cups homemade chicken stock

2 lemons, juiced

6-8 swiss chard leaves, stems removed and minced, leaves chopped

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup heavy cream (or half and half)

1 cup small shell pasta

Salt and pepper, to taste

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Garnishes: chives & parmesan cheese

Start by making your stock. Add all of the ingredients to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring up to a boil, then down to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the chicken, take the meat off the bones (set aside in a bowl) and then put the bones back into the stock pot. Cook for another 3 hours or as long as 6 hours if you have the time. Try and cook the stock for a minimum of 3 hours. After three hours, drain the liquid from the pot and set aside. Clean the pot out.
After the stock is made, start on your soup. Add the carrot, celery, leeks, and chard stems to a food processor. Pulse until small. Add the butter to the cleaned pot and bring to medium to low heat. Add the vegetable mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Next, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Next, add the stock and lemon juice and bring the soup up to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, add 2 egg yolks and heavy cream to a small bowl and whisk. Add in 1/4 cup of the hot soup liquid into the egg/cream mixture very slowly while whisking. Then, add the egg/cream mixture directly into the soup and whisk until incorporated. Add the pasta to the pot and cook until al dente. Lastly, Add the swiss chard leaves and allow to wilt. Taste for seasonings.
To serve, ladle your soup into bowls and top with chives and shaved parmesan cheese!