This homemade chicken noodle soup is getting me through winter. Making it has become a sort of ritual—I roast a chicken every Sunday and use the leftovers for soup. There’s something so grounding about a pot of stock simmering on the stove. Life is chaos everywhere but at least we have homemade chicken broth!
It’s simple to make—you literally throw the ingredients into a pot of water and you’re already winning. These days, when we all feel like we’re failing at everything, it’s nice to know that you can boil water and make a heavenly, soul-fortifying broth. Bonus: Your home will smell divine. I recommend the following pranayama practice. Remove the lid from the pot for a moment. Stand there with your feet evenly grounded into the floor. Take a few relaxed breaths. Draw the aroma of the broth into your lungs, like you’re drinking it in. Exhale out of your mouth.
This recipe is really meant to be a guided tour. I encourage you to organize your own excursion. Again, you truly can’t screw this up. I do, however, believe that you can taste the love you put into it, so give it your all.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 carrot, trimmed
1 purple top turnip, trimmed and halved
3 whole peppercorns
1 whole clove, inserted into onion
1 bay leaf
chicken bones
4-5 carrots, peeled and chopped
chicken meat, torn into chunky, bitesized pieces
1 bag of egg noodles
salt and pepper
parsley, chopped
It all starts with a roast chicken. After our Sunday dinner, I pull all of the remaining meat off the bones. I wash the bones with water and use my hands to get them clean (cleaner bones create a clearer broth), then I dry them and store them in the fridge.
Throw everything into a big pot and cover with water. The liquid will reduce so best use more water (I fill mine about an inch to the top). Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Sometimes I only partially cover. I’m not sure if there’s a right or wrong. I just wouldn’t leave it uncovered because the stock will evaporate faster. Cook for 3-4 hours, checking in every so often to see how much liquid is evaporating.
Meanwhile, prepare the accoutrements! In a separate pot, boil the chopped carrots for 15 minutes, or until just soft enough to pierce with a fork. No mushy carrots! In yet another pot, cook the egg noodles in salted boiling water.
Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve or chinois. Return to the pot.
Ok, folks, this is the moment we add salt. It’s an important moment. Start small, maybe a teaspoon and build from there. You can add more water if you over salt, but I’m willing to bet you’ll need to add more salt. Salt makes the broth come to life.
Add the chicken and carrots to the broth.
Scoop the noodles into each bowl. Ladle in the broth with the chicken and carrots. A few generous turns of the pepper mill and some freshly chopped parsley and you are so, so good to go.
ALL of this is up for interpretation and begs creativity! My only tip is not to add the noodles to the broth because they’ll soak up all the liquid and get soggy. I even store the noodles separate from the stock and just repeat the serving process when I’m ready to eat the leftover soup, which is usually the next day!
