Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup

Confession time- soup is the one food I could not live without. Particularly, my dad’s homemade chicken soup, which he learned from my Grandmother. So, I am doing my part in carrying on the chicken noodle soup tradition- on a student’s budget. The thing I love about making a pot of soup is that it can be your meals for a week or you can freeze it and save it for when you don’t feel like cooking. Either way, this recipe is all about bang for your buck, getting all the nutrients, and giving you all the goodness that Grandma’s (or Dad’s) comfort food can offer.

                 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours (or more)

Ingredients:

·       1 jumbo white onion

·        1 small whole chicken

·        4 large carrots (peeled and chopped)

·        1 celery heart (chopped)

·        1 bunch of fresh Italian parsley

·        Black Pepper and Salt to taste

·        Optional: Egg noodles, brown rice, lentils or other add-ins to be cooked separately and added as desired.

Recipe

1. In a large pot or crock pot (at least 7 quarts), place the whole chicken- making sure to remove any giblets from the inside - I know not the best part.

2. Peel the onion, cut in half and place both halves into the pot

3. Peel and chop your carrots and place in the pot.

4. Chop celery and place in the pot as well

5. Season generously with salt and black pepper

6. Coarsely chop a handful of parsley and place in pot

7. Fill pot with water until chicken is covered.

8. Cover pot cook on medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat to simmer; cook for at least 4 hours (longer if desired). If using a crock pot secure top and cook on high for at least 4 hours. I like to let the protein of the chicken breakdown more in the broth, so I will typically cook on high (in the crock pot) over night or during the day during work hours. I then turn off the heat and let the soup cool down (another 3-4 hours) before placing it in the fridge to cool.

9. I like to strain my soup to make sure I don’t get any bones in the broth. I then use a fork to add the pieces of chicken and veggies back into the broth.

10. Refrigerate the soup in a large pot, and when completely cooled you can remove the fat and throw it in the garbage (do not pour it down the sink! It can re-solidify and clog your drains)

Tips:

• I like to divide up the soup into different containers and freeze some and refrigerate others so as not to waste it!

• The longer you cook the soup, the more the protein in the chicken breaks down giving you a thicker broth (like a bone broth) and giving your soup a meatier, richer flavor

• I love to cook egg noodles, brown rice, and/or lentils separately to add in single servings.