Chad wasn’t feeling well yesterday so I made chicken soup from scratch. First I boiled a young fryer and the just-barely crushed cloves of an entire bulb of garlic in a large pot. (When fryers go on sale at the market ($.59/#) I usually pick up two and throw one in the freezer for later.) I include the neck and gizzards for maximum flavor. Also, I love eating the liver and gizzards salted halfway through, though it grosses out everybody else in the room: “Stop saying ‘gizzards’ pleeese!”
Then I take the entire chicken out with a strong slotted spoon. By this time the chicken should be well-cooked and can be busted up into several pieces. The chicken needs to cool and be shredded – this makes 4-5 cups of chicken. Put aside.
In the meantime, I put several cups of noodles to cook. I do this in a separate pot so that the soup doesn’t get too starchy. I only let the noodles barely cook – a couple minutes. I add chopped celery and carrots to the still boiling chicken broth. When the noodles are ready, I add them to the chicken broth also. When the veggies are cooked I add about half the shredded chicken. I reserve the other half for sandwiches during the week.
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Will heal many varieties of unwellness.
Two extra tips:
1. I also make chicken soup from the bones of a chicken roast. Maya says if you roast the bones again that the soup will be even more delicious.
2. If you let the chicken broth cool and refrigerate it overnight before you add anything – all the fat will be congealed in a semi-firm layer at the top of the broth in the morning. It is easily skimmed off.