Food Tips

Chicken noodle soup with homemade broth

Chicken noodle soup with homemade broth

Author: Canadian Living

Food Tips

Chicken noodle soup with homemade broth

It's cold and flu season, the snow and mercury continue to fall, and nothing tastes better on the lips than homemade chicken soup when a little comfort is needed.

It's easy to boil a whole chicken for your own chicken stock -- to keep in the freezer when future colds hit, or for an easy weeknight meal. Not only do you reap the most health benefits from a real boiled bird, your homemade chicken stock isn't loaded with sodium and MSG like most prepackaged soups and bouillons.

Below are step-by-step instructions for The Canadian Living Test Kitchen's Homemade Chicken Stock and Chicken Noodle Soup. 

How to make your own Homemade Chicken Stock and Chicken Noodle Soup:

Basic Chicken Noodle Soup
  • 2 tbsp (25 mL) butter
  • 1/2 cup  (125 mL) minced onion
  • 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) each sliced carrots and celery
  • 1 cup    (250 mL) sliced parsnips
  • 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) egg noodles
  • 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh parsley
  • Hot pepper sauce
  • Salt and pepper

Homemade Chicken Stock
  • 5 lb (2.2 kg) Stewing hen or roasting chicken
  • 2  carrots, chopped
  • 2  stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1  leek, chopped (optional)
  • 3 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) whole black peppercorns


Preparation
1. Homemade Chicken Stock:
Place hen or roasting chicken in stockpot or Dutch oven; add 16 cups (4 L) water. Bring to boil; skim off froth. Add carrots, celery, onion, leek (if using), parsley, bay leaf, salt, thyme and peppercorns. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 2 to 2-1/2 hours for hen, 1 to 1-1/2 hours for chicken, or until juices run clear when thigh is pierced.

2. Remove chicken and refrigerate. Strain liquid through cheesecloth-lined sieve into large shallow bowl, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Let cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or for up to 12 hours.

3. Remove fat from surface. Set aside 8 cups (2 L). Refrigerate remaining 7 cups (1.75 L) for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 4 months for another use.   

4. Chicken Noodle Soup:
In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; cook onion, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add reserved 8 cups (2 L) chicken stock; bring to boil. Add carrots, celery and parsnips; cover and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

5. Add noodles; cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until noodles and vegetables are tender.   

6. Remove skin and bones from chicken. Dice meat and add 2 cups (500 mL) to soup; heat through. Stir in parsley; season with hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate remaining chicken for another use.

Per each of 8 servings: About 185 cal,16 g pro, 7 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 13 g carb, 2 g fibre, 45 mg chol. % RDI: 4% calcium, 11% iron, 56% vit A, 8% vit C, 11% folate.

Variation: Oriental Chicken Soup with Gingerroot and Bok Choy


Oriental Chicken Soup: Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped gingerroot to onions while softening. Reduce carrots and celery to 1 cup (250 mL) each, diagonally sliced. Substitute 1 cup (250 mL) diagonally sliced bok choy for the parsnips. Omit noodles. Cook soup for 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Substitute slivered chicken for diced. Add 1 cup (250 mL) snow peas, 1/4 cup (50 mL) sherry and 2 tbsp (25 mL) soy sauce along with the chicken. Omit parsley and pepper sauce.

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Chicken noodle soup with homemade broth

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