This Traditional Chicken Noodle Soup calls for a whole chicken slowly simmered with celery, carrots, and onions to create a naturally sweet broth. The trick to a clear broth is to keep the pot at a lower heat to help retain more nutrients and flavor enzymes, which means a more delicious and healthy soup
Use this recipe to make a big batch of homemade broth from a whole chicken. Skip the vegetable peels and, after removing meat, simmer bones alone for 1 1/2 hours, then strain and refrigerate broth overnight before removing as much of the solidified layer of (healthy) fat on top as you like. The refrigerated broth should be like jelly—the sign of a high-collagen broth. The best part? Use the leftover poached meat for salads, sandwiches, or other soups.
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Traditional Chicken Noodle Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken 3 1/2 Pounds
- 1 tsp salt Divided
- 2 cups Peeled and Diced Onion Peels Reserved
- 1 cup diced celery Ends Trimmed, Trimmings Reserved (except leaves)
- 1 Cup Peeled and Diced Carrots Peels reserved
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 garlic cloves Minced
- 1/8 Tsp black pepper
- 1/2 Tsp Fresh or Dried Thyme Leaves
- About 12 Fresh Parsley Sprigs Separated into stems and leaves, stems dived, leaves roughly chopped
- 4 Oz Wide Egg Noodles, Broken Fettucine, or Vermicelli
Instructions
- Remove chicken giblets. In large pot, cover chicken with water and 3/4 tsp salt. Bring to just below a boil. Skim off scum that rises to top. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally, for 25 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted in chicken thigh reads 165 F.
- Remove chicken to large bowl and, when cool enough to handle, separate into large pieces by hand. Discard skin on breasts and thighs. Remove meat from breasts and thighs and refrigerate until needed. Return bones and wings to pot. Add onion peels, celery trimmings, and carrot peels, along with bay leaves. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
- Through sieve lined with cheesecloth in large bowl, strain broth to remove impurities. Remove remaining meat from chicken carcass and add to reserved breast and thigh meat. Wipe out pot and return to stove.
- Into pot, add 1 Tbsp fat skimmed from strained broth, or measure 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add diced onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Cook for 10 minutes. Add strained broth, black pepper, thyme, and parsley stems and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- . Shred chicken and add back to soup. Add noodles and simmer for 5 minutes, until al dente. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley leaves.
Recipe Notes
Per serving: 182 calories; 18 g protein; 7 g total fat (2 g sat. fat); 12 g total carbohydrates (2 g sugars, 1 g fiber); 303 mg sodium
