Chicken Noodle Soup
I’ve got another soup recipe for you, and this one is definitely a classic. It really doesn’t get much better than old fashioned chicken noodle soup. This recipe comes from my mom, although if you want to be more precise, it actually comes from my great grandmother! I never knew her, but I do have good memories of my grandma making this recipe when I was little, and I grew up with my mom making it every winter. It’s one of the first recipes I asked her to teach me to make when I moved out after college, and I still remember how nervous I was when I made it for the first time by myself. My mom tends to give “ideas” more than recipes, and I am definitely a recipe person. She’ll say “Fill the pot with water” and my next question will be: “Exactly how much water do I need?” Let’s just say that chicken noodle soup is one of the things that taught me that cooking doesn’t always have to be precise.
This is a very forgiving recipe, and it’s incredibly easy. There is something so satisfying about starting with a raw chicken and ending up with a steaming pot of delicious soup. I don’t think I’ve ever had a chicken noodle soup that compares to this one in flavor. It’s old fashioned, comforting, simple, and so rewarding. Not to mention it tastes amazing. If you haven’t made chicken noodle soup from scratch before, I recommend you give it a try – I can guarantee it will be worth the effort!
Chicken Noodle Soup
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 3 lbs.
3 carrots, sliced
2 large potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
2 stalks celery, chopped
salt and pepper
parsley
Noodles (I like to use egg noodles or tiny pasta noodles)Directions:
Place the chicken in a large pot and fill the pot with cold water until the chicken is just covered. Bring to a boil on the stove. As the water begins to get hot, skim off the film that floats to the top. Once the water reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, or until the chicken is done. The chicken should be falling apart at this point.
Remove the chicken, leaving the broth in the pot, and set on a plate. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, take the chicken off the bone. Throw away the skin, set the chicken aside, and add the bones back into the pot with the broth. Continue simmering for 1-2 hours.
Remove the bones from the pot (I use my fine mesh strainer to transfer the broth to a large bowl, then pour it back in the pot). Add in the carrots, potatoes, celery, and salt, pepper and parsley to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are done. Add the chicken back in.
In the meantime, in a separate pot, cook the noodles according to the package directions, then drain and serve with the soup.
*Note: I prefer not to cook the noodles in the soup because they tend to eat up the broth, then get mushy when reheated for leftovers.p>
from my mom
Welcome! I'm Megan and it's my hope that here you'll find food that has been made with love and recipes that are shared with joy. Thanks for stopping by! 
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Liz @ Blog is the New Black — January 18, 2012 @ 9:15 pm
A classic- a favorite!
Cassie — January 18, 2012 @ 9:40 pm
You can’t beat classic chicken noodle soup. I’m craving it already!
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) — January 19, 2012 @ 8:13 am
The temp here in D.C. dropped into the teens this week. Just looking at the picture of your soup has made me feel warmer! I’ll definitely be making a big pot of this for the rest of the week! So tasty and warming and hearty!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts — January 19, 2012 @ 12:56 pm
I love a good chicken noodle soup. Looks delicious with the big chunks of veggies!
Charlotte Moore — January 19, 2012 @ 3:42 pm
This looks wonderful. I make a chicken and barley that is very similar but without potatoes. I put corn though. I need to go buy a chicken and try yours.
Brittany — January 19, 2012 @ 9:04 pm
Wow, this is definitely being made tomorrow! The temps here are in the single digits and it feels even colder so it will definitely be nice to warm up the house. I’m not gonna lie, making a soup completely from scratch is nerve wracking at best but I’m excited to try it.
Julie at Burnt Carrots — January 20, 2012 @ 11:17 am
Yummy! This sounds perfect for today! We are snowed in and freezing!
Angie Walker — January 22, 2012 @ 9:29 am
Oh my gosh!! That looks super fabulous!! Puts me in the mood for soup….
Eliana — January 26, 2012 @ 1:10 pm
Hmmmm – this looks like a delicious bowl of comfort.
Buzz — January 27, 2012 @ 7:26 am
I am making it right now. I stopped to look to see what others do with there homemade soup and what did I find…… You make it the same way as my mother’s mother’s make it… I;ve been making it the same way for 30 years.
Yummy, yummy, ymmmmmm
megan replied: — January 30th, 2012 @ 6:27 am
This just must be the way grandmothers make soup. They certainly knew what they were doing didn’t they?
Caroline — January 27, 2012 @ 2:55 pm
I just made chicken noodle soup this week! I’ve been on a crockpot kick and wanted to do it in there. I also had a rotisserie chicken with some meat left on it from the day before. I filled my 3 qt crock pot with water and cooked the rotisserie chicken on low all night. In the morning I picked out the bones and put the broth and meat into my 6 qt crock pot. I added cut up onions, celery and carrots, plus some salt and pepper and parsley. I decided it didn’t look like enough broth for when I would want to add noodles so I added two cans of chicken broth and a cup of cut up chicken that I happened to have in the freezer. I cooked in for 6 hours on low and the house smelled delicious when I got home. I’d already done my meal plan for the week so after the soup cooled (without adding noodles) I put it into three separate Ziploc containers (not sure the size, I think the medium square ones) and put them in the freezer. Now I can pull out one when I want it, heat it up and add noodles and have delicious chicken noodle soup! All this to say, my recipe was a lot like yours, just no potatoes! So now you can try it in the crock pot next time and not have to watch over it!
megan replied: — January 30th, 2012 @ 6:26 am
Thanks for the comment Caroline! Your version sounds wonderful. I have made stock in the crockpot before, but never did the actual soup in there. Next time maybe I’ll try that!