CooklyBookly: Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

cooklybookly

Prep 15 minutes

Total 1 hour 45 minutes

Serves

US | Metric

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

There are few things quite as comforting as a hot bowl of soup on a cold day and chicken noodle is one of my all-time favourites!

It’s a classic for a reason. It can be jazzed up and taken in so many directions. This recipe is my version of what I’d call a classic American chicken noodle soup. It’s made with homemade chicken stock, which makes all the difference.

Ingredients

For the homemade chicken stock:

1 kg full chicken legs or 1 small whole chicken (approx. 1.2 kg)
2.5 litre cold water
1 large onion, quartered (no need to remove the skins but you can if you like)
1 large carrot, quartered
1 celery stick, quartered
2 tsps fine sea salt
2 tsps whole black peppercorns
4 dried bay leaves

For the soup:

250 g dried pasta (any short pasta)
1 large carrot, sliced
1 celery stick, sliced

METHOD

Place the chicken stock ingredients in a very large stockpot or saucepan. Bring to a simmer over high heat, using a spoon to skim off any foam that rises to the surface of the water. Turn the heat down to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 1 hour.
Carefully remove the chicken from the broth – it’ll be very tender. Let cool for 10 minutes then shred, discarding the bones.
Strain the stock into a clean pot and season with sea salt, to taste – you want it to be very well seasoned.
Bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the pasta and cook for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and celery and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the shredded chicken. Taste and adjust the salt level, to your liking. Divide between bowls, top with some freshly-ground black pepper and serve.

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