There’s nothing like a bowl full of homemade chicken soup to satisfy that comfort food craving. If you thought it was too difficult to make it from scratch, think again. All you need are a few basic ingredients (most of which I usually have on hand all the time) and some time. This is a perfect recipe to make on a Sunday afternoon. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator and of course, you can portion it out and freeze for later too.
This recipe is one my dad makes a lot. It’s originally from a local restaurant here in Houston (Rudi Lechner’s) but I adapted it slightly to make it more to our taste. The recipe appeared in the newspaper years ago. My kids LOVE it! Now I gave it a try myself and I’m not sure why I don’t make it more often…it is SO easy!
For this soup I used the leftover Slowcooker Rotisserie Chicken that I had on hand. Did you also know you can freeze the rotisserie chicken carcass until you want to make soup? I do this all the time! I was also excited to find whole-grain egg noodles to use in my soup! My family didn’t seem to notice the difference and I actually liked them a little more than regular dumpling-style pasta. Yay for easy extra dietary fiber!
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken carcass (I used my leftover rotisserie chicken)
- 1/2 gallon water
- 3 whole carrots sliced
- 5 stalks celery
- 1 large onion cut in quarters
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 12 whole peppercorns
- salt and Worcestershire sauce to taste
- chicken base to taste*
- 12 ounces noodles**
Instructions
- Place chicken carcass in large pot, add water to cover.
- Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, parsley, peppercorns, salt and Worcestershire.
- Bring to boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook at slow heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Remove the grease and foam with a ladle as needed. Just before the chicken is done,
- Cook the noodles in boiling water until they are al dente (firm to the tooth).
- When chicken is done, strain the soup and return clear soup to the stove. Slice carrots and celery small, dice the chicken and return with the noodles to soup.
- *I left this out.
- **I used the whole wheat dumpling-style noodles I found...they were delicious!
- My notes: Because I used a low salt rub for the chicken, my soup definitely needed more salt. But that’s what I love about making it from scratch. I can control how much salt I use.
- Taste and correct seasoning and add chicken base if needed. Serve in hot bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- *I left this out.
- My notes: Because I used a low salt rub for the chicken, my soup definitely needed more salt. But that’s what I love about making it from scratch. I can control how much salt I use.
Just a few simple ingredients and some time for simmering. Couldn't be easier to make your own chicken noodle soup!
I used a mesh ball (like a tea ball but bigger) for the peppercorns and garlic.
Garlic & pepercorns in the "tea" ball. Next time I'll probably just do the peppercorns and let the garlic simmer in all the broth.
Love all the colors in the soup while it is simmering!
Homemade chicken soup is a big favorite around here. I leave the skin on the onions for the broth because it helps with that lovely yellow color!
Wow, I can’t help drooling. I just love the Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Well done!
If you submitted your Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup photos to http://www.foodporn.net , I’ll bet they will make you on the home page.
Gosh, you have made me sooo hungry !