Chicken noodle soup has to be among America's best-loved soups--it's not only good for the soul, but also the budget. Chicken is a good source of protein, and combined with a variety of root vegetables has a healing or rejuvenating effect on the sick. There are many variants on the classic recipe, and choosing ingredients becomes a matter of availability and seasonality. Below are the basics for making homemade chicken noodle soup.
Instructions
Making the Stock Base
1. Add 1 whole chicken and an extra bag of chicken parts to an 8-qt. soup pot. Be sure to clean the chicken thoroughly.
2. Place 8 carrots, 8 celery stalks, a bunch of parsley and 4 large onions chopped and cleaned into your soup pot. Zucchini, kohlrabi, parsnips and rutabaga all make wonderful additions to your soup base.
3. Place ? tsp. thyme, ? tsp. black pepper corns, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp. salt into pot before adding a ? gallon to a gallon of water. The water should be close to the top of the pot. It will evaporate during the simmering process.
4. Bring water to a boil and then let simmer at a low heat on stovetop for 2 to 3 hours.
5. Separate chicken and vegetables from stock using a slotted spoon. Discard the vegetables and place chicken aside until Section 2.
6. Chill stock base in refrigerator until fat forms on surface. Use a colander to scrape off the fat. This is the base for chicken noodle soup.
Completing the Soup
7. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken set aside. There may be more actual chicken than necessary for the soup and so feel free to set aside some of the meat for other dishes like chicken salad. The amount used in the soup is a matter of individual taste.
8. Cut the chicken up into smaller soup size pieces or shred the meat, depending on personal preference.
9. Cook the bag of noodles in a separate pot following the directions on the packet, drain with a colander and set aside. Cooking the noodles separately prevents you from adding additional starch to the completed soup.
10. Chop 4 carrots up into bite size pieces to add to the stock. Peel and wash the carrots before cutting.
11. Return stock to the stovetop and simmer, adding the carrots as the stock warms back up. Let the carrots soften a little in the stock before adding the noodles.
12. Add the chicken and noodles to the stock and let simmer. There should be 4 qts. of stock and you can use as little or as much of the stock to make your soup as you wish.
13. Serve the hot soup with homemade bread for that final touch.
Tags: noodle soup, your soup, before adding, chicken aside, chicken noodle, size pieces