Chicken Noodle Soup

We're deep into soup season.

I made a delicious ribollita a couple of weeks ago, but chicken noodle is the soup I crave for to keep me warm during the many, many snowstorms.

The recipe does require a bit of work but is worth it to have homemade chicken noodle soup. You can split the process into two days if you'd like, where you make the broth on one day and finish the soup the next day.

It also makes a lot of soup so you can freeze leftovers! Just don't add noodles to the portion you're freezing because the noodles will turn mushy when defrosted.

Chicken Noodle Soup
From Smitten Kitchen Every Day

Broth
1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil of your choice or butter
2 large onions, unpeeled, quartered
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-to-2-inch segments
2 celery stalks, cut into 1-to-2-inch segments
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly smashed
A handful of parsley stems (save the leaves for garnish)
2 teaspoons peppercorns
1 bay leaf
One 3 1/4-to-4-pound (about 1 3/4-kilogram) chicken, either whole or cut into halves so it fits better in your pot
14 cups (3 1/2 quarts or 3 1/3 litres) water

To finish
225 grams (8 ounces) dried egg noodles
5 celery stalks, in 1/2- to-1-inch chunks
5 medium carrots, in 1/2- to-1-inch chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, to finish

Make the broth:

Heat the oil or butter in the bottom of your largest pot (8 quarts is ideal here) over medium heat, and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they're browned in spots and a little soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, and chicken, then the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, mostly covered, for 25 minutes, then use tongs to remove the chicken from the broth, leaving the broth covered on the lowest heat.

As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and pick the meat from the bones, covering it and setting it aside until needed. Return the bones to the stock and bring it back to a simmer. Cook, mostly covered, for 1 to 2 hours; less time will make a fine pot soup; a longer amount of time will make an even more developed flavor.

Pour the soup through a fine-mesh strainer, wipe out your stockpot, and return the broth to it. (You should have about 3 quarts of stock.)

Cook the noodles:

Bring a separate pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions; drain when finished.

Finish the soup:

Meanwhile, bring the soup broth back to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of pepper to add a nice warmth), then add the additional celery and carrots and cook everything together for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the reserved chicken and noodles, taste again for seasoning and adjust as needed, and heat just to warm through. Ladle into bowls and finish with fresh herbs.