My Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup

As we ushered in the month of November last week, I started to get excited that my favorite time of year - the holiday season - is right around the corner.  But I also couldn't help but dwell on the fact that another season is now upon us: cold and flu season.  Blah.  Let's face it, the signs are all around us: my coworkers are dropping like flies, my clients have turned into little snot-factories, and my hand sanitizer usage has reached record levels (much to the dismay of my sensitive skin). 

This year, I've decided to take precautions.  I'm not talking about a flu shot (although you had better believe I'll be getting one of those this week!), I'm talking about an ancient, time-honored cold remedy: chicken soup.  Whenever I'm sick, I crave my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup.  However, by the time I'm sick enough to crave it, I usually don't have the energy to make it.  So this year, I'm making a big batch before the rhinovirus strikes!  Luckily, this stuff freezes like a dream.  Just be sure to freeze it before adding the pasta (it's easy to add in when you're heating it up later).  This is more or less how my mom makes it, with a few of my own twists.  I like making the broth in my slow cooker, but if you don't have one or don't have the time to wait, just simmer it in a big pot on low heat on the stove for an hour or so.

For the Chicken Broth:

2 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, cut into big chunks
1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
1 tsp. peppercorns
a small handful fresh parsley sprigs
10 cups water

For the Soup:
(Makes about 8 Servings) 

2 chicken breasts + 2 chicken thighs, skin and bones removed, shredded
2 celery stalks, sliced into 1/4" pieces
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 cup green beans, ends snipped and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
kosher salt, to taste
2 cups small pasta of your choosing (I like orzo or ditalini)

To make the broth, add the chicken, onion, celery, garlic, peppercorns, parsley, and water to your trusty slow cooker.  Set the slow cooker to low heat and allow the broth to cook for 6 hours. 

Broth in the making

Once the broth is done, remove the chicken and set aside.  Discard the veggies and strain the broth through a fine-meshed sieve into a large pot or dutch oven.  Heat the broth over medium heat.  Meanwhile, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the chicken with two forks (or your fingers).  Add the cooked chicken, carrots, celery, green beans, basil, and oregano to the broth.  Bring the soup to a simmer and cook until the veggies are tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Season the soup to taste with kosher salt (I'd say start with a teaspoon and go from there).

If you're freezing your soup, at this point you can ladle it into freezer-safe containers, seal them up, and stash them in your freezer for later.  If you're planning to dig into that soup right away, cook your pasta.  I prefer to cook my pasta separately from the soup because I find that it yields a better broth-chicken-veg-noodle ratio.  If you cook the pasta in the soup, you run the risk of ending up with mushy pasta or not enough broth.  That said, boil some water and cook some noodles of your choosing, then add the drained noodles to your soup.  

In case of cold, open freezer!

Take one large bowl with some crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich and call me in the morning :o)

You'll feel better just seeing this in front of you!