On a cold winters day, or when I’m feeling a little under the weather…there’s nothing I love more than a big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing like it, right? I mean, I can’t be the only one here who hates the canned stuff? Okay, okay I don’t hate it. But I don’t love it. The canned soup just isn’t the same as homemade. And that’s a fact.
This is a big pot of soup. So how should you store it if not eaten immediately? This is how I like to do it:
Who likes to put in the time to cook when they’re sick? Not me. I also don’t want crummy takeout or canned soup when I’m not feeling my best. I want something homemade. So let me let you in on a little secret: I freeze my soup in individual serving containers… but I leave the noodles out. It’s not a good idea to freeze noodles. They just become soggy and gross. They’ll also become soggy in the fridge after swimming in that broth over a couple days. So instead, I store the noodles separately in the fridge….or I’ll make fresh noodles the day I decide to thaw out a frozen soup serving. This way, the noodles are fresh and perfect in texture. Problem solved!
The soup will stay good in the freezer for 4-6 months. Which means September is the perfect time to make and freeze a big batch!
My homemade soup is pretty simple. Chicken noodle isn’t a very complicated soup, just time consuming. First, I start off by deconstructing a whole chicken. I love a mix of dark and white meat. I leave the skin on and bones in. It makes for a richer broth. I boil it in a big pot of chicken broth instead of water. Why? More flavor. Then I let it cool and shred it by hand. Next comes the vegetables and herbs and a little chicken base. Like I said, it’s time consuming but easy.
PRODUCTS I LOVE:
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours
Serves: 8-10 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb. medium sized egg noodles, cooked according to package instructions
- 1.5-2 lb whole chicken, deconstructed
- 6 lbs chicken broth (3 – 32 oz. boxes)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 stalks celery, sliced small
- 3 carrots, cut into rounds
- 1/2 yellow onion, small dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp butter, salted
- 1.5 tbsp better than bouillon chicken base
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp rubbed sage
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, small chop
DIRECTIONS:
- Place the chicken pieces, thyme and broth in a large pot. Bring to a soft boil and then turn to the lowest setting and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes and then turn off heat. Let chicken cool for 30 minutes to an hour (or until it is cool enough to handle).
- Shred chicken and discard the skin and bones. Place in a separate bowl.
- Skim the top of the chicken broth for any floating pieces and the sprigs of thyme. Discard.
- In a separate large pot place the butter, carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Cook on low for a few minutes until aromatic.
- Add in broth, salt, pepper, sage and parsley. Bring to a soft boil and cook till carrots and celery are soft. About 10-15 minutes.
- Add in chicken and turn off heat. Let sit an additional ten minutes before serving.
- Add in noodles to each serving individually if planning on freezing or refrigerating leftovers. If not, add in all at once.
- (Refer above for storing methods)