Chicken Noodle Soup
We cook a whole chicken in a combination of store-bought chicken stock and water to get a jump-start on a flavorful and classic soup. For an extra-special treat, additional vegetables like parsnips or herbs, or even matzo balls could also be added just before the cooked and shredded chicken is added back to the pot. This is defintely a cold-weather favorite in our house! Originally served as part of: Soup for the Weary.
Ingredients
- 1 4-pound whole, with giblets chicken
- 1 quart storebought, boxed, chicken stock
- 2 6-inch pieces stems only parsley (cleaned)
- 1 teaspoon coarse, plus more as needed salt
- 6 stalks from heart celery
- 1 pound organic carrots
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 package dried egg noodles
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
We start by rinsing the chicken and the included innards in the sink, and putting the whole chicken and the small chicken parts included with it into a large pot. The only part we discard is the liver. We wash our hands well and the sink and surrounding area.
We cover the chicken in the pot with the stock and about 8 cups of water. We want the chicken just covered. We start heating it on the stove over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, we lower it to a bare simmer and skim the bubbles and foam to a plate with our "skimmer" while the chicken cooks. We add the salt and parsley stems and leave the soup to cook slowly while we chop the vegetables.
We clean the celery stalks with water and a paper towel and chop. This yields 1½ cups of celery. We rinse and then peel the carrots with our vegetable peeler. When we thinly slice them we have just over 2 cups of carrots. The onion is also rinsed and then it is halved, peeled, and thinly sliced. We have just under 2 cups of sliced onion. We set these aside while we continue to skim the soup. We want the chicken to cook in the pot for one hour and 15 minutes.
About an hour into the cooking of the chicken, a large pot of water is set on the stove and heated over high heat to cook the egg noodles.
When the chicken is cooked through, it is removed from the pot to a large bowl. We also remove and discard the innards and parsley stems. Into the pot of chicken stock, we add the cut celery, carrots, and onion and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, we remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. The chicken is torn into bite-size pieces with clean hands and set in another bowl.
When the water is boiling, we add the egg noodles, a pinch of salt, and cook according to the package directions. When tender, the egg noodles are drained in a colander and rinsed briefly so they do not clump. We make the entire package since our children love to eat lots of the noodles!
As soon as the vegetables are tender, the shredded chicken is added to the pot and cooked for a few minutes. We taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper, and serve the soup with the egg noodles.
Leftover soup is refrigerated (or frozen) separately from the noodles so the noodles do not soften too much.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (4 lb, with giblets)
- 1 quart boxed chicken stock
- 2 6-inch parsley stems
- 1 tsp coarse salt (plus more to taste)
- 6 stalks celery (from the heart, chopped, 1½ cups)
- 1 lb carrots (peeled and thinly sliced, 2 cups)
- 1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced, 2 cups)
- 1 package dried egg noodles
- black pepper (freshly ground)
Instructions
Rinse the chicken and giblets and put them in a large pot; throw out the liver. Wash your hands, the sink and the counter.
Add the stock and about 8 cups of water, enough to just cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower to a bare simmer, skimming off the foam. Add the salt and parsley stems. Simmer 1 hour 15 minutes in all, skimming as you go.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and set them aside.
About an hour in, put a large pot of water on high heat for the noodles.
When the chicken is cooked through, lift it into a large bowl. Take out the giblets and parsley stems. Add the vegetables to the pot and cook 15 minutes. Meanwhile, pull the chicken off the bones into bite-size pieces, throwing out the skin and bones.
Salt the boiling water and cook the noodles following the package directions. Drain and rinse briefly so they don’t clump. (We cook the whole package; the kids love the noodles.)
When the vegetables are tender, add the chicken and heat a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve over the noodles. Store leftover soup and noodles separately so the noodles don’t go soft.