Slow Saturday
Chicken Soup
This is not a quick weeknight soup. It is the soup you make when you have nowhere to be, when the windows are fogging up and a child is curled on the couch with a book. It takes time, and that is exactly the point.
Prep
20 min
Cook
1 hr 40 min
Serves
Calories
385 / serving
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3–4 lb)
- 3 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 cups wide egg noodles
- kosher salt, to taste
- fresh flat-leaf parsley, to finish
Method
- 1 Build the broth.
Place the whole chicken breast-side down in a large stockpot. Cover with 12 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.
- 2 Add the aromatics.
Once the broth is clear, add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer — you want small, lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil.
- 3 Simmer low and slow.
Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes. The house will smell like the best version of itself. Resist the urge to rush it.
- 4 Shred the chicken.
Carefully transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the skin and bones. Pull the meat into generous, rustic shreds.
- 5 Strain and finish.
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve back into the pot, discarding the spent vegetables. Bring back to a simmer, add the egg noodles, and cook for 8 minutes until just tender. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- 6 Season and serve.
Taste and adjust salt. Ladle into deep bowls and finish with fresh parsley and a crack of black pepper. Serve with thick slices of buttered bread.
A few notes.
- — Make the broth the day before and refrigerate overnight — the fat will solidify on top and lift off cleanly.
- — Swap the egg noodles for rice or small pasta if that's what you have. This soup is forgiving.
- — Leftovers keep for three days, though the noodles soak up broth as they sit — add a splash of water when reheating.