MAKES: 8 servings TESTED by: Colleen W.
077 Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
TASTING COMMENTS:
This soup is chock-full of veggies, chunks of chicken, and chewy homemade noodles. We discovered that cutting up a whole chicken makes all the difference in getting the best rich, from-scratch flavor.—CW
Prep 25 minutes Cook 1½ hours + 10 minutes
- 1 3½- to 4-lb. broiler-fryer chicken, cut up, or 3 lb. meaty chicken pieces (breast halves, thighs, and/or drumsticks)
- ½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dried thyme, sage, or basil, crushed
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 8 cups water
- 1 cup chopped carrots (2 medium)
- 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
- 2 cups Homemade Egg Noodles (see recipe) or 6 oz. dried egg noodles
- 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh thyme, sage, or basil (optional)
Bay leaves add aromatic flavor to soups and other dishes, but they’re bitter and fibrous—you don’t want to eat them! Always remove before serving.
1. In a 6- to 8-qt. Dutch oven combine the first seven ingredients (through garlic). Pour the water over all in Dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 1 ½ hours or until chicken is very tender.
2. Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones. Discard bones and skin. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; set aside. Discard bay leaves. Skim fat from broth.
3. Bring broth to boiling. Stir in carrots and celery. Simmer, covered, 7 minutes. Add Homemade Egg Noodles, stirring to combine. Simmer, covered, 3 to 5 minutes more or until noodles are tender. Stir in chicken pieces and, if desired, fresh thyme; heat through.
Fresh noodles can be delicate. Add them to the soup a handful at a time, stirring gently after each addition. Simmer dried noodles according to package directions.
Per serving 176 cal., 4 g fat (1 g sat. fat), 90 mg chol., 735 mg sodium, 12 g carb., 1 g fiber, 1 g sugars, 22 g pro.
TESTING NOTES
After removing cooked chicken pieces, use a large spoon to skim the fat (about ¼ cup total) from the surface of the broth. You can make the broth ahead of time and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Chilling congeals the fat and makes it easier to remove.
cutting up a whole chicken
1. Place the whole chicken, breast side up, on a large, clean cutting board. Using a sharp chef’s knife, make a deep incision between the two breast halves, putting pressure on the knife to cut though the breastbone.
2. Flip the chicken over; place breast side down. Cut parallel on one side of the backbone, separating the chicken into two halves. You may need additional pressure as you reach the thigh area. Repeat down the other side of the backbone.
3. Holding onto the end of a drumstick, use the knife to cut through the skin and muscle between the drumstick and the breast. This will expose the thigh joint. Cut firmly through that joint to separate the breast and leg. Repeat with the other breast and leg.
4. Place a leg, skin side down, on the cutting board. With your fingers, find the joint in the leg where the drumstick and thigh meet. Use the knife to cut firmly through that joint to separate the drumstick from the thigh. Repeat with the other leg.
5. Bend a wing away from the breast. With the knife, cut through the skin and muscle around the joint that connects the wing to the breast. Cut through that joint to separate the wing from the breast. Repeat with the other wing and breast.
