Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
I love coming home for the holidays, not only to spend some quality time with family and friends but for some of Mom’s cooking! With all this crazy weather lately I haven’t been feeling so hot and of course, just in time for Thanksgiving. I flew home to stay with my parents earlier this week, and Mom had the perfect remedy – a big ol’ pot of her homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. I could smell the delicious golden aroma brewing on the stovetop the second I walked in the door and knew I was home.
My Grandmother used to make this recipe with a secret ingredient called George Washington Golden Seasoning, a powdered chicken soup base with chicken fat and seasonings that gives an extra savory, golden chicken-y flavor to the soup broth, developed by a distant relative of George Washington. I’m not sure if this is even around anymore, but my Mom uses Lisa Marie chicken base (a brand from Syracuse, NY). If you can’t find this brand, use a few tablespoons of any quality chicken bouillon or chicken soup base to bump up the flavor of the chicken broth – you can find plenty of these at your grocery store or at Amazon online. Make sure to add plenty of fresh veggies (carrots, celery and onion) and let the soup simmer to it’s shimmering, golden delicious state for at least a few hours to let the flavors meld.
One tip: we always keep the egg noodles and cooked, pulled chicken separate from the broth to avoid the broth getting cloudy – this also ensures the noodles don’t get soggy and you are left with an absolute pure and delicious golden broth that will warm your bones and lift your spirits.
All I can say is three words: Pot. Of. Gold.
A Pot of Gold: Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 6 quarts
Ingredients
1 (5-6 pound) whole stewing chicken
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons Chicken Soup Base seasoning (or quality chicken bouillon)
4 carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
4 stalks celery, halved length-wise, sliced thin
2 small onion, diced
1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
1 package dried wide egg noodles
Instructions
Wash and drain chicken, put in large soup kettle. Cover with water, heat to a boil.
Remove scum before complete boiling starts and add seasonings.
Let simmer until chicken is half cooked, about 1 hour.
Add vegetables and cook until tender, another 2 hours.
Remove chicken and take all white and dark meat off the bone, set aside in a separate bowl.
Boil noodles separately according to package directions and drain.
Ladle soup broth over chicken and noodles, garnish with fresh parsley and additional salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with crackers or fresh crusty bread.
Notes
This recipe makes a double batch which serves 8-10. Cut recipe in half for a smaller crowd.
Other Chicken Soup recipes you may enjoy:
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