Chicken Noodle Soup From Raw Chicken, Not Leftovers
One whole chicken, 55 minutes, and about three quarts of broth from a single pot. Starting with raw chicken rather than a cooked bird is the difference between stock that tastes like something and stock that tastes like hot water.
Stock made from a roasted carcass has already given up most of its flavor to the oven. Stock made from raw chicken extracts both collagen and flavor into the water as it comes up to temperature, so you get body and taste at the same time. It costs one extra step and the payoff is large.
Start Cold and Never Boil Hard
Cover the chicken with cold water by an inch, bring it slowly to a bare simmer, and skim the gray foam that rises in the first ten minutes. A hard boil emulsifies fat into the liquid and makes the broth cloudy. A lazy simmer with bubbles breaking at the edge keeps it clear.
Add the aromatics after skimming, not before. Onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns, and a bay leaf go in once the surface is clean. Twenty-five minutes of gentle simmering after that is enough to cook a 4 pound bird through.
Cook the Noodles Separately
Egg noodles dropped into a pot of soup keep absorbing liquid long after you turn off the heat, so leftovers turn mushy by the next day. Cook them in a separate pot of salted water until just barely tender, then add them to each bowl. It takes one more pan and completely changes day two.
What to Watch For
Store bought stock varies hugely in salt. If you use it instead of making your own, season only at the very end, because reducing the soup concentrates whatever sodium was already there. Homemade broth gives you control that a carton cannot match.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb
- 12 cups cold water
- 2 onions, quartered
- 3 carrots, cut into large pieces
- 3 celery ribs, cut into large pieces
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 8 oz wide egg noodles
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley and dill
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Steps
Cover the chicken with cold water
Put the chicken in a large pot and add cold water to cover by an inch. Starting cold draws flavor out of the meat as the temperature climbs.
Skim the foam for 10 minutes
Bring the pot to a bare simmer over medium heat. Skim the gray foam off the surface for the first 10 minutes. This is what keeps the finished broth clear rather than cloudy.
Add aromatics and simmer 25 minutes
Add the onions, carrots, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, and salt. Keep it at a lazy simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F at the thigh.
Pull the chicken and shred it
Lift the chicken onto a board and let it cool 10 minutes. Remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite sized pieces. Return the bones to the pot for 10 more minutes if you have time.
Strain, then taste and adjust
Strain the broth through a sieve, pressing gently on the vegetables. Discard the solids. Taste and add salt; broth usually needs more than expected once the vegetables are gone.
Cook noodles separately and assemble
Boil the egg noodles in salted water until just tender, then drain. Put a portion of noodles and shredded chicken in each bowl, ladle hot broth over, and finish with herbs and lemon juice.
Turning One Pot Into Three Meals
- Chill the broth overnight and lift the solid fat off the top. It keeps a week in the fridge and three months frozen.
- Use thighs instead of a whole bird if you prefer dark meat; the timing shortens to about 30 minutes.
- Add a parmesan rind to the pot with the aromatics. It adds savory depth without tasting cheesy.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 310 kcal |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 700 mg |
