I couldn’t write this post fast enough because I’m so excited to get to the recipe after this one. I’m making chicken noodle soup! Now, can you feel my giddiness? Before we get to the good stuff, I feel it’s important to introduce the most important foundation of chicken noodle soup: the broth.
Be warned, this is neither the most intriguing nor the prettiest recipe, but I can guarantee a lot of flavor and a happy tummy. Chicken broth is so versatile and this recipe could be used for many other dishes and soups to come.
This post has been sitting on the back burner for a long time, but it’s time to shine the spotlight on it because I’m simply sick of winter. The original recipe came from foodwishes but I’ve made a few adjustments since then.
This soup could possibly rid your winter blues.
Chicken Broth
adapted from food wishes
By W.
Makes about 2 quarts
Whole chicken, 3.5 to 4 lbs (mine came with innards)
2 carrots, chopped and peeled
2 ribs of celery, chopped
Half an onion, half rings
Ginger, about the size of two thumbs
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
3-4 whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon ketchup
½ tablespoon vinegar (I used white wine)
2 quarts (8 cups) cold water
Salt
Preheat oven to 400F. In a large roasting pan, line with chopped vegetables – sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate the innards for later use. Place whole chicken on top and generously season with salt. (Side note: I made a silly mistake and roasted the chicken breast down. It shouldn’t affect the flavor but it would have looked nicer. Carry on.)
Roast the chicken in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until it turns a golden brown. Let cool for about 30 to 40 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Once it’s okay to handle with bare hands, remove all the breast meat and set aside to refrigerate. You may find yourself sneaking some crispy chicken skin and meat into your mouth – that’s perfectly okay.
The vegetables should have caramelized in the pan – move those into a large soup pot. This is optional, but totally worth the extra step, deglaze the pan with about ½ cup boiling water. This extra step will add depth to the broth – transfer water from the pan into the pot.
Gently place the whole roasted chicken and innards in the soup pot. Add garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, ketchup, vinegar, and water into the pot. Do not add any salt. Bring to a boil and then a gentle simmer. Skim off any foam and fat. For this, I like to keep two bowls close by: one for foam and the bad fat, the other for the good fat. By good fat, I mean the liquid gold that you can reserve for cooking later. As you simmer this, a lot of fat will be release so you can be selective about what you save.
Simmer this for 3-5 hours, the longer the better. The chicken should have slowly fallen apart by this point. A good test is to try a piece of chicken – if it still tastes like chicken then you’ve got ways to go. Keep cooking until all the flavors are released into the broth.
Once you are confident that it’s done, strain the broth. You can use this right away or store in the freezer for up to a month.
Ready for some chicken noodle soup?
