Chicken Noodle Soup
Pro tip: if you're sick and stuffy, sprinkle some cayenne pepper in your bowl. Opens those sinuses all the way up!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 whole young chicken (about 5 pounds)
- 10 C water (plus more as needed)
- 4 medium carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 3 celery stalks (sliced)
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1/2 C minced herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp chicken bouillon paste
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp seasoned salt (to taste)
- 1/2 Tsp paprika
- 1/4 Tsp turmeric
- 1/4 Tsp ground coriander
- 1/8 Tsp black pepper (freshly cracked )
- 1/8 Tsp kosher salt (as needed)
Instructions
- 1
Start by placing a large dutch oven (about 6 quarts) over medium-high heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Once melted, toss in the diced onion and give it a stir to coat it in the butter. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the onions to help them release their moisture. Let them cook until tender, about 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until it's fragrant.
- 2
Carefully place the whole chicken into the pot. Tuck the fresh herbs and bay leaves alongside the chicken. Pour in about 6 cups of water, or as much as fits without overflowing. Stir in the chicken bouillon paste, seasoned salt, and cracked black pepper.
- 3
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let the chicken cook until it's done, which should take about 30 minutes. If you couldn't fit all the water in at once, add more every 10 minutes to keep the chicken as submerged as possible. To keep the broth clear, skim off any foam that forms on top.
- 4
Once the chicken is fully cooked, carefully remove it from the pot along with the spent herbs. Discard the herbs and transfer the chicken to a plate to cool enough to handle. While the chicken cools, add the sliced carrots, celery, and 2 more cups of water to the pot. Sprinkle in the paprika, ground coriander, and turmeric.
- 5
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones (you can discard the bones or save them for stock later). Shred the meat using a hand mixer or your fingers. Add the shredded chicken back into the pot. The soup should be about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pot. If it’s not, just add more water. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more seasoned salt if needed.
- 6
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the soup simmer for another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the egg noodles. Let the soup cook for another 15 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Alternatively, you can cook the noodles separately according to the package directions and add them to the soup at the end.