Homemade chicken noodle soup
24 Nov
This is a post about being patient.
I had read somewhere that you can take leftover bones and make stock with it. The only problem was, I didn’t have internet access all weekend, so I couldn’t look it up to be sure. So what did I do? I just winged it.
I used the leftovers from my last post to create this delicious stock. It only took about 4 hours to make. Who would have guessed that it would take so long?
If you’re like me and don’t have four continuous hours to spare, do it in batches. I ended up working on this for about an hour, on three separate occasions, in the span of two days. Talk about patience!
Recipe: Homemade chicken noodle soup
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
Leftover bones and meat from 3 chickens
4 cups of water
1.5 cups of any dry pasta
4 stalks of celery, cut into fourths
2 medium onion, 1 whole, 1 diced into cubes
1/2 bag of baby carrots (2 regular sized ones are fine too)
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Remove edible chicken bits from bones, using your hands. Set aside.
2. Break chicken pieces into a more manageable size and add to a big pot. Since you’ve already roasted it, they should fall apart easily.
3. Add water to the pot, along with one onion, a handful of baby carrots, and one stalk of celery.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then close lid and bring the heat to medium. Remove impurities that float to the top. Let it simmer for 3-4 hours all at once, if possible. Otherwise, bring to room temperature, then place in fridge. (It will make is easier for you to skim the fat.)
5. Keep boiling! UGH. The vegetables should be a dull color. Do the chicken noodle soup dance if you’re bored. “Let it rain. Clear it out!” If you see visible fat or other impurities, remove it.
6. After it’s been boiling for about 4 hours, turn off heat. Drain the soup. Discard the bones, along with the vegetables. Trim off even more fat with a small colander. Sidenote: I’m reminded of hospitals whenever I smell chicken noodle soup. Am I strange?
7. Rinse out the pot and add fresh celery, onions, carrots, pasta, and of course, chicken bits from step 1. Simmer over low heat for 8-9 minutes, until pasta is done.
8. Since I had seasoned the chicken before roasting, I didn’t really need to add anything else, other than a hint of salt and pepper. YAY! You’re done! Enjoy!
