For years when I made homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, I would buy a whole chicken, then proceed to hack it up in my kitchen. That’s right, I would stand over an entire raw chicken with my 6-inch “chef’s knife” and hack and saw and chop until I had that bird whacked into 8 separate pieces. Then I would put the pieces in a pot with water, one quart of prepared chicken broth, and some veggies and let it simmer for hours and hours. I would then remove the chicken, discard the soggy veggies, and strain the broth into another pot that I had sautéed a fresh batch of vegetables in. I KNOW, RIGHT! This is making me sound like a very unstable and questionable human being. Who would go through all of those steps, especially when there is a better way?
Yes my friends, there is a better, much easier way to prepare Chicken Noodle Soup. Not only is it faster and less work but it tastes better too! This super ideal recipe is what I lay before you today. Try it, love it, crave it, make it part of your weekly rotation, because Lord knows it’s that good.
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A simple and delicious homemade Chicken Noodle Soup made with a whole chicken and egg noodles.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), rinsed
1 gallon water (sixteen cups)
6 tablespoons better than bouillon chicken base
1 tsp herbs de provence
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup chopped onion (one–half of an onion)
1 – 1/2 cups chopped celery (four stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (four carrots)
6 ounces (about half of a bag) egg noodles*
fresh parsley or dill (optional)
Instructions
Melt butter in a large pot or dutch oven and add chopped shallot. Sauté shallot until translucent.
Add chicken to the pot and fill almost to the top with water.
Add in the Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, Herbs de Provence, and ground pepper and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer, and cook chicken, covered, for about one hour, flipping the chicken over half way through cooking. Add in a bit more water if needed.
Remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool.
At this point you may choose to pour the broth over a strainer into a bowl (or another big pot) to collect any small chicken bits and bones that may be in the broth. Return the broth to the original pot (or keep in the fresh pot) and continue simmering. This isn’t necessary but I do it.
Add chopped onion, celery, and carrots to the simmering soup and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut up cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces.**
Add in the chicken and the egg noodles and allow to cook for about 10 minutes (follow noodle package instructions).
Garnish with fresh parsley or dill if desired and serve.
Notes
*For the egg noodles I used Kluski, but you can use any size noodles you like.
**For a four pound chicken, I usually get about 4 cups of cut up chicken meat. You can add all of the chicken to the soup, or perhaps reserve a cup or two for another meal, depending on your preferences.
