Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Instructions

1. Separate chicken into pieces (wings, drums, etc) leaving the skin on and trim chicken pieces of excess fat. Next use a heavy knife to cut/chop the chicken along the center of the bones to expose bone marrow and release the iron-rich good stuff into the broth.
2. In a large soup pot (at least 8 Qt pot), combine chicken pieces with halved onion, 2 bay leaves, 2 pierced garlic cloves and 1 tsp dried thyme. Add 5 quarts water and bring to a boil. Using a large spoon, remove and discard any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook partially covered for 1 1/2 hours. It should be barely bubbling. The chicken meat will be tender and broth will be infused with chicken flavor.
3. Remove chicken pieces and once they are cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bones (you'll be putting the meat back into the soup later). Discard bones. Cover meat with foil or a lid to keep it from drying out.
4. Strain the broth into a large heat-proof bowl over a sieve lined with a large paper towel.
5. Rinse the now empty pot, and place back over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté 3 finely chopped celery sticks, 2 thinly sliced carrots and 1 finely diced onion. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
6. Add chicken broth back to pot and salt and pepper to taste. I added at least 1 Tbsp sea salt and about 1/4 tsp pepper. Bring to a light boil and continue cooking another 15 minutes.
7. Add shredded chicken and egg noodles and continue cooking until noodles are cooked through (check the cooking time on your noodles - mine took 20 min).
8. Turn off heat and stir in fresh parsley and dill. Ladle into warm soup bowls.