The best chicken soup is made with homemade chicken broth, but if you use canned broth, I won't tell anyone. This recipe makes a lot of soup, which is fine, because it's great to freeze some for a cold or a cold day. This recipe can be found in my first book, Back to the Table: the Reunion of Food and Family (Hyperion).
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Makes 12-14 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
One 6-to 7-pound chicken
2 quarts Chicken Broth (see recipe below) or canned low-sodium broth
1 quart cold water, or as needed
4 sprigs of fresh parsley
3 sprigs of fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups egg noodles
Chop fresh parsley, for garnish
Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes.
Cut the chicken into 8 pieces. If there are any pads of yellow fat in the tail area, do not remove them. Add the chicken to the pot and pour in the broth. Add enough cold water to cover the ingredients by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Add the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf.
Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is very tender, about 2 hours.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the parsley and thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Let stand 5 minutes and degrease the soup, reserving the fat if you are making matzo balls.
Discard the chicken skin and bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Add the noodles and cook until done, about 10 minutes. Stir the meat back into the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
The soup can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months.
CHICKEN BROTH
Makes about 3 quarts
3 ½ pounds chicken wings, chopped at the joints
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 sprigs of fresh parsley
3 sprigs of fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Cook the chicken wings, onion, carrot, and celery in the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring often, just until the vegetables soften (the chicken should not brown), about 10 minutes.
Add enough cold water to the pot to cover the ingredients by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Add the parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the broth is full-flavored, at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.
Strain the broth through a colander set over a large bowl. Discard the solids. Let stand for 5 minutes. Skim off the clear yellow fat that rises to the surface. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (The broth can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months.)
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