Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: The Answer to a Cold Day!

Wow, it’s been cold this week.  The Four State Food Critic loves to warm his weary bones with homemade soups.  They are so hearty and satisfying, plus they make the house smell absolutely terrific.  Here’s a recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup that you should try.

(Image credit – tasteofhome.com) 

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 large fryer or small roasting chicken, with the gizzards and giblets removed
• 1 large onion
• 3 or 4 celery sticks
• 3 or 4 carrots
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1 lb package of dry egg noodles (fine is best)
• Splash of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water, chicken broth, or chicken stock

Dice the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic.  Add the olive oil to a large stock pot and turn on the heat to medium high.  Once the oil has heated up, sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic for a few minutes (until the onions are clear, but not brown), stirring frequently so that the garlic does not burn.  Add water, chicken broth, or chicken stock to the stock pot stock pot.  Place the fryer/roaster in the pot, adding additional water/broth/stock to cover (if the chicken came with a neck in the cavity, use that in the broth as well and then discard later).  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook the chicken for about 60-90 minutes (adding additional water/broth/stock to keep the chicken covered, if necessary).  Remove the chicken and allow it to cool for a few minutes.  Strip all of the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin and bones.  Add the meat back into the broth and bring back to a slow boil.  Add in about ¾ of a pound of egg noodles and allow to cook (according to package directions), stirring occasionally so they do not stick.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with saltine crackers or big hunks of crusty bread.

You can serve this immediately, or cool it down and reheat it later.  (FYI - Once cooled, you can also take the opportunity to skim off any excess fat that hardens on the top of the soup.)

Soups like this get better and better the more you reheat them, and this recipe will keep you in noodle soup heaven for a few days.

Don’t rush this!  Soups are made with love, and it takes time to build up all of those deep and wonderful flavors.  Make this over the course of a lazy afternoon.  The more care you put into creating it, the more you’ll get out of it!