Even though my kids are grown up and living on their own, every so often I get a plaintive phone call from one of them asking for some homemade chicken noodle soup. They both claim that my soup is the only thing that makes them feel better when they’re sick or feeling down. They remember this soup as steaming bowls full of love! 

I don’t think you can make great soup quickly. It has to be done the right way so the comfort and wonderful aromas fill the house. To produce really great soup, you need to start from scratch with simple ingredients and no shortcuts. Start with a whole chicken so that you get the rich, deep flavors that the skin and bones add to the broth. Please note, I don’t have carrots in my recipe. I don’t like them, but feel free to add them if you do. Truthfully, when I cook, I rarely measure my ingredients. I go with what sounds good and with what I have, so feel free to make this soup your own!

Ingredients

1 Whole Chicken

2 Celery ribs and some of the leaves

1 Onion

Garlic – I use 2-3 cloves

Salt – I like freshly ground sea salt

Pepper – I use freshly ground 5-pepper blend

Kluski noodles – a dried egg noodle that resembles home-made noodles when cooked. They hold up to multiple reheatings or freezing.

Instructions

Put the whole chicken in a large stockpot. I also do this in a pressure cooker a lot of the time. Chop the celery, onion and garlic and add it to the pan. Fill the pan with water – about 16-18 cups. If you’re using a pressure cooker, bring the pot to pressure (15 pounds) and let it cook for about 30-35 minutes. If you’re using a stockpot, cover and let simmer until the chicken is falling off the bone. Once the chicken is thoroughly cooked and falling off the bone, remove the pan from the heat. Remove the chicken (including skin and bones) from the liquid. Cover your stock and chill long enough for the fat to harden and separate from the liquid – it may take over 12 hours, so plan ahead. Meanwhile, separate the bones and skin from the chicken meat. Cut or tear the meat into soup sized chunks. Add the meat back to the stock. Once the stock has cooled and the fat has hardened and separated, simply lift the fat off the top. Bring the stock back to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the Kluski noodles and cook until they’re done – normally 16-19 minutes.

This recipe will make a big pot of soup that will easily feed four people with lots of leftovers. When I serve this to my family, I make them breathe in the wonderful steam first and “feel the love”. I hope you will feel the love when you make it too!