homemade chicken noodle soup

October 5, 2011 by Taylor
1 Comment

Back in February I made homemade pasta. In that post I talked about how I inherited the Pasta Queen pasta maker from my grandma, and how I would help her make noodles when I was little. Well, I hate to admit this but I didn’t make homemade noodles for this soup. But! I did make the chicken stock. Which, once again, reminded me of my grandma. After we would make noodles, I remember making chicken noodle soup. I can vividly picture her pulling the chicken meat from the bones, with greasy fingers, making a big pile of shredded chicken waiting to be added to the soup. It was a simple, whole, made from scratch meal from grandma’s kitchen, and it didn’t get much better than enjoying a big bowl of her homemade chicken noodle soup.

Yesterday I was craving that nostalgic comfort food, and happened to have a few hours to spare, so I decided to take on the task of making my own chicken stock. I never knew it could be so easy! All it took was putting a whole chicken, some vegetables, herbs, and water into a stockpot and letting it slowly simmer away until the chicken was cooked and the stock was full of flavor. Bonus: you have flavorful and moist chicken ready to be used for soup!

This soup is nothing new. Nothing fancy. Just pure, honest-to-goodness comfort food. And it doesn’t get much better than that.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
from Tyler Florence Food 911
makes 4-6 servings

2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, cut into small chunks
2 celery ribs, cut into small chunks
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock (8 cups) *recipe below
8 oz dried wide egg noodles
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken *recipe below
kosher salt and pepper, to taste
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Add butter or olive oil to large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5-6 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes. Fold in the chicken and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes to heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving. Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Stock
makes about 2 quarts

1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 lbs, preferably free-range), rinsed and giblets discarded
2 carrots, cut into large chunks
3 celery stalks, cut into large chunks
2 white onions, cut into 6 chunks
1 head of garlic, halved
1/4 bunch of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp whole black peppercorns
kosher salt, to taste

Directions:

In large stockpot, add chicken and vegetables. Pour in only enough water to cover. Add the thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, partially covered, until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that float to the surface. If needed, add more water to keep chicken covered while cooking.

After chicken is done, remove it to a cutting board and let cool until cool enough to handle. Discard the bones and hand shred the meat.

Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the stock immediately or cool completely before refrigerating or freezing.