Chicken Noodle Soup

Classic chicken noodle soup with homemade stock and fresh herbs.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 (3-pound) whole chicken, liver discarded
2 1/2 quarts cold water
4 carrots, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
2 onions, peeled
2 stalks celery, cut into 4 pieces
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 sprigs thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
12 ounces cooked noodles
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Directions:

1. Rinse chicken, giblets and neck thoroughly in cold water (discard liver). Place in a large pot with water, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil; skim the surface of any foam that appears on the top. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1½ hours, skimming occasionally. Add more water to keep chicken submerged, if needed.
2. Remove chicken with tongs and cool. Strain broth through a fine sieve. Discard celery, herbs, spices, giblets and neck. Reserve onions and carrots. Remove any excess fat from the top of broth with a spoon or ladle.
3. Pull chicken meat from bones and discard skin and bones. Dice chicken and reserve. Quarter cooked onions if desired.
4. In a large soup pot over high heat, return strained chicken broth and bring to a rolling boil. Add reserved onions and carrots. Reduce heat to low; stir in reserved chicken meat, noodles and, if using, the frozen peas, cooking until warm. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with a sprinkle of fresh chopped dill and parsley.

Makes 8 servings.

Recipe provided courtesy of National Chicken Council. Used with permission. Photograph by Hope Cantil, is the property of CooksRecipes.com.