Chicken Noodle Soup!  

There are likely thousands, if not millions of different versions of chicken noodle soup in the world.   They differ based on how we learned to make the soup from whoever made it before us, perhaps making small changes along the way, as the times change.   This version comes straight from my (Kirstie’s) mom, who made it just like her mom.   Stay tuned for the ‘Jody’ version in another recipe, as they differ dramatically!   We’ve often had the ‘battle of the chicken soup’ pots going.  One is not better than the other, just different, and we can revel in the joy that each pot brings.  

This is a big batch recipe, because, why not.  It takes no more time and barely any more work to make a large batch than a small batch.  Absolutely nothing better than having a few containers of soup in your freezer, then all you have to do is cook some noodles, as you would never freeze or store the soup with the noodles in the broth.   And when it comes to noodles, that’s a whole other story of preferences!  (We grew up on a ‘Lancia Medium brand.  Today I use a thin German egg noodle.).   

This recipe takes a few hours, yes, but your hands-on time is under 30 minutes.   So pick a rainy or chilly day, relax or fold laundry in between, and wait for the faces of joy to spark when Chicken Noodle Soup is for dinner.  

To learn the difference between stock & broth, click HERE.   

Makes: 5-6L
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 2-3 hours, plus the time it takes to boil the noodles

Recipe: 

For the Broth: 

2 whole chickens 
4-5 L (18-20 cups) of COLD water 
1 large onion, roughly chopped (some peel left on is fine, good for golden colour)
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1-2 ribs of celery, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
A handful of parsley stems (save the leaves for garnish) 
Some thyme springs, if you’ve got them

For the Soup: 

6-7 carrots, peeled and cut into batons/sticks (that’s how my Grandma cut them, you can cut them however you like)
2-3 ribs celery, diced 
1-2 cups chopped parsley, either in the soup or pass at the table 
Green Onions, chopped, for garnish at the table (optional)
Your favourite Noodle, boiled in a separate pot to package directions in salted water and drained
Kosher Salt, as needed 

1. Make the broth: Place whole chickens in a large stockpot.  Cover with cold water and bring to the boil over high heat.   
2. Once you see movement in the pot, the grey scum/foam should have risen to the top of the pot.  Remove with a ladle and discard. This is excess calcium/impurities from the bones.   
3. Reduce heat to low and add in roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, parsley stems and thyme, if using.  Add in 1 tablespoon of salt.  
4. Cook over low heat until the chicken is very tender, approximately 2 hours.  Generally the legs will be very loose and can easily pull away from the body of the chicken.   
5. Once chicken is tender, use a large spider or a pair of tongs and a spoon to carefully remove the chickens to a large bowl to cool.   Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables.  Discard vegetables.  
6. Generally I will ladle out about 1L (4 cups) of the broth and set aside, so that my ratio of broth to meat, vegetables and noodles is correct.  You can always add this broth back in.  
7. To the remaining broth add in the fresh carrots and celery.  You can now also taste the broth and season with salt.   Cook over medium-low heat until carrots are tender.   
8. Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the bones. Tear or cut into large pieces (too small and the meat becomes too ‘shredded’ too quickly).   Discard the carcass and the skin (we’ve extracted all of the flavour from it).  
9. Once carrots are tender carefully add all of the meat and heat through over medium-low heat.  Do not allow soup to boil.  
10. At this point you can add the parsley to the soup, or pass it at the table.  
11. Cook your noodles, drain and add to bowls.  Top with the soup and garnish as you like with more parsley, green onion and freshly ground black pepper.  
12. To freeze leftovers: ladle into 2 or 4 cup containers, leaving about 1” headspace.  Let cool slightly before refrigerating overnight.  Then you can freeze for up to 6 months.   Pop frozen soup out of the containers into a pot and re-heat slowly until very hot.   

Learn to make our other favourite one-pot chicken meal with us!   Join our Chicken & Dumplings Online Cooking Class for entertaining step-by-step video instruction!