Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

One large chicken whole broiler or parts, or just breasts, or just dark meat, or just wings, whatever you have, but it is best to use a whole chicken. (Put aside the gizzards for other recipes if they pack innards inside the chicken where you by it).

4-6 stalks of celery, cut how you like- I use the inner parts but any parts are fine including the leaves
4-8 carrots(depending on size and how sweet you want the soup. I like lots), cut how you like.
one large onion... type is not critical, cut how you like. If you have smaller ones, use more.
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1, 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt
Pepper


WILL TRY, BUT HAVEN'T YET
Fresh dill or if necessary, dried dill. This will be to taste.
3/4 cup frozen peas
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup small pasta (such as elbows or shells)

Rating

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Procedure

Use a large soup pot, enough to place the chicken in, cover it in water and still have 1/4-1/2 of the pot available.

High heat until boiling, cover, lower to simmer, and allow to simmer for an hour to 90 minutes (according to size of chicken).

After that, take out chicken, place in large bowl and let cool for a little while (about 15 min - 1/2 hour), and start removing skin, meat, etc. Place skin and all bones back into the stock and allow to simmer (low flame) for another hour. The meat can be cut into small pieces and placed in the fridge until later.

After an hour, turn off heat, place large soup pot in sink, use large strainer and strain from current pot into new pot. Place on stove top on low heat, allow to settle (about 10-15 minutes) and skim off fat from top using soup or whatever works for you.

Put in celery, carrots, onion(s) and raise heat to medium-low. Allow to cook covered for about 30-45 minutes. Remove onion(s) and squeeze out juices from onions into soup and discard the remainder of the onion (unless you have another use for it).

Now put in the chicken pieces that were set aside earlier and lower to low heat. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Put in the dill weed, cover, shut off heat and allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes before serving. This reheats as well as when it is fresh. It will gel in the fridge but instantly turns back to soup in the microwave or stovetop.

Grandma Sophie's Chicken Soup

http://suzette.typepad.com/the_joy_of_soup/2004/01/grandma_sophies.html