The Best Chicken Soup

We are all convinced that this is the best chicken soup recipe we have ever had! It's Paleo and, it's so easy! Thank you to our friend and excellent cook, Sarah Waldron, for the recipe and her variations, which we think make it that much better.

1 small whole chicken (4-5 pounds) We've been using the new "smart" chicken at New Seasons
1 leek, white part only, diced
8 crushed cloves of garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled and sliced
5 large sprigs of thyme
1 golf ball size knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 Tbsp sea salt
5 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry sherry

Place your leek, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme, and ginger in the bottom of a 6 qt or larger crockpot. Place your whole chicken on top of the vegetables, add stock and sherry and salt. Cover and cook on igh for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours (until the chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone). Remove the chicken from the crock pot to a large plate or backing sheet, let cool slightly and then shred all the meat with your hands (discard bones, skin, cartilage, etc.) Add the meat back to the broth and vegetables and serve warm. It's also delicious to add a bit of diced avocado to each bowl before adding the hot soup.