Chicken soup is ideal for cold and flu season

Though there might be little people can do to avoid catching a cold or coming down with the flu, certain approaches can make it easier to get through a bout with either illness. This recipe for Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from Lines+Angles makes a worthy addition to anyone’s cold- and flu-flighting culinary repertoire.

 

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

• Makes eight servings
• One 3 1/2-pound chicken
• 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Eight carrots, peeled and sliced
• Six stalks celery, trimmed and sliced
• Three onions, peeled and sliced
• Two cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• Eight sprigs fresh parsley
• Two sprigs fresh thyme
• One bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

12 ounces wide egg noodles

 

For the chicken stock:

1. Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold running water. Place the chicken in a large pot over medium heat and add the chicken broth. Add a quarter of the carrots, a third of the celery and a third of the onions. Add the garlic, two sprigs of parsley, thyme, bay leaf and enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is very tender, skimming any foam from the surface of the broth.
2. Remove the chicken from the broth and place in a colander to drain and cool. Strain the broth through a very fine mesh strainer into a large, clean soup pot. Discard the vegetables used to flavor the stock.

 

For the soup:

1. Skim any fat off the top of the strained broth.
2. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the remaining carrots, celery and onions and cook for about seven minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken pieces and stock, then season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Chop the remaining parsley. Add the parsley and egg noodles, stirring frequently. Cook for eight to 10 additional minutes or until the noodles are tender.
5. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot.