Chicken Noodle Soup

Some people call this "chicken in a pot." I call it heaven in a bowl! I learned about chicken soup working in a Jewish deli as a teen. Fred, one of the owners, would take a massive soup pot and add a chicken as well as fill it with copious amounts of whole carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic and dill. Then he'd boil the dickens out of it, with the pot lid chattering and spitting foam as the aroma of chicken fat permeated the air. He let his broth cook until the flavors melded into a lovely, golden potion - "the Jewish penicillin" as they say! This is not exactly that recipe, but the idea is the same.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, washed in the sink, with skin on and giblets removed

3 carrots, sliced into chunky, bite-sized coins

1 large onion, whole, peeled

5 cloves garlic, whole

2 small parsnips, sliced into coins

celery, chunked - save the leafy tops and toss those into your soup pot as well

2 bay leaves

large bundle of dill (you may want to tie it up in cheesecloth for easy removal later)

salt and pepper - several generous pinches, to taste

Instructions:

*Pre-emptive step: make room in the refrigerator for a pot of soup. You'll need to cool it down in there later so you can skim the fat off.

Part 1: Make the soup

Add all ingredients to a large soup pot and cover with water. Turn heat up to medium-high and keep a close eye on it until soup begins to boil. Lower heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 4 hours with the lid on. Make sure that soup is bubbling, but not violently or anything.

Soup is done when the broth is a beautiful golden color and of course the chicken is fully cooked and falling from the bones. Remove from stove and let cool.

Part 2: Chatty commentary

The worst part about chicken soup is dealing with the fat. Ah, but the end result makes it all worth it. You'll feel better if you open the windows and let the chicken-heavy air escape, light a few scented candles, take a nice, hot shower and scrub the chicken grease off before you sit down to enjoy your meal.

(But before you do that...)

Part 3: Chill to let the fat rise to the surface

Using tongs and a large paddle spoon with holes, carefully remove the bird from his hot bath and set aside. Feel around with the paddle spoon to make sure the bones are all out as well. Remove the whole onion and the bundle of dill. Now take the entire pot of soup and refrigerate it until the fat rises to the top. This may take several hours, so hopefully you have a snack and some sort of activity to occupy you while this is going on.

(Okay... so the activity will most likely be removing the chicken meat from the bones. You may want to also chill the chicken parts for a while, so that you can handle the bones easily without burning yourself.)

Part 4: Get the meat off the bones

Separate the meat from the bones, making sure to watch out for those little pieces of cartilage and odd bony bits that often find their way into the meat pile. Tear the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place in container with snap-on lid and return to fridge to cool.

Part 5: Skim the fat

Now back to the soup - after several hours, the fat will have risen to the top and you can easily skim it off with a large spoon. Underneath this layer, your chicken soup should be rich and golden and ready to eat! Add the chicken meat (you don't have to use all of it - some can be saved for chicken salad if you like).

Part 6: The final stretch - heat and eat!

When you're ready to serve, boil up your noodles and add a little to each person's bowl. If you don't mind soggy noodles floating in reheated soup, then add them right to your pot of soup and warm it all up together. The noodles will soften as the soup cooks.

Serve with homemade whole grain bread. Sprinkle a little fresh parsley into each person's bowl if you like.

Serves: 6-8

Submitted by:

Dina Giolitto
http://wordfeeder.com

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