Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

In the height of this flu and cold season, nothing makes me feel better than a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. In fact, I can crave it acutely. And when London turns snowy and wintery, I positively must have it. If you are like me, may I suggest you put some of the extra stock in the freezer for one of those days you are feeling low and just need that quick fix of "feel better soup".

This recipe is based on the one my Grandmother taught me when I was a child. You can read about it in my post entitled, "Grammy Wyckoff's Chicken Noodle Soup". If you don't have the time to make homemade egg noodles, find some nice sturdy noodles with a bit of bite. Even the pickiest of my children slurp this soup right up. Serve it with a bit of my No Knead Bread.

Chicken Stock
If you are using a left over roast chicken, pick the meat off and reserve. Otherwise, place a whole Organic or Free Range Chicken in a large stock pot.

1 large onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic, slightly crushed
2 carrots, quartered
2 celery stalks, cut in thirds
1 leek, cut in large chunks
1 lemon cut in half and given a bit of a squeeze
1 heaped tablespoon of Marigold buillon powder or Knorr stockpot tub
1 bayleaf
Any fresh herbs you might have: parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf
(Potato water if you made mash with your roast)

From a Roast Chicken: Pick the all visible meat off of the chicken carcass and put in the refrigerator for later. In the largest stock pot you have, put in the vegetables listed above, the ones from the bottom of the roasting pan, any fat and bones, burnt bits, etc. (Trust me, this makes the richest stock and will be strained later.) Cover the whole thing with water and cook covered at a low simmer for about an hour. (This could also be done in a large Crockpot.) 

From a Fresh Chicken: Add all of the ingredients and bring to a light simmer for 1 1/2 hours. If the temperature gets too high the chicken will get tough. After 1 1/2 hours pull at the drum stick. If it comes away easily,  remove the the whole chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. The chicken should be firm and the leg start to fall off. Reduce the stock further to intensify the flavor. You'll be able to make lots of additional dishes with the poached chicken.

Let the pot cool. Place a large bowl in the sink and line it with a large colander. Scoop all of the bones and vegetables into the colander and let it drain. Discard these items, they have done their job! Now pour the remaining items into the colander strain out the remaining bits and pieces. Finally, refrigerate this stock with some cling film over the top. Once it has really cooled down a layer of fat with float to the surface. Lay a paper towel on top and the fat will adhere to the towel. Throw it away. The stock can be frozen in portions for later use or saved for noodle soup. Tip: Pour some stock into those ice bags before putting it in the freezer. You can add them to sauces for quick flavour.

(For a more Asian flavour, add a knob of ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves.)


Noodle Soup
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 T olive oil
2 liters/1 quart of chicken stock
1 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups uncooked thick egg noodles (recipe follows)

In a medium sized pan, saute the vegetables in the olive oil. Add a portion of the chicken stock. Simmer the vegetables until they become soft. Turn up the heat to a light boil. Add the chicken and egg noodles. Cook until the noodles are tender, but not too soft. (If you don't have the time or inclination to make noodles, try cut up pasta, rice, wild rice or barley.) Adjust salt and pepper to taste. 


Egg Noodles
I use a classic pasta recipe for these. You can double the recipe if you want to make extra noodles for another day. When my grandmother made them, she would drape the noodles over a broom handle as they dried. I've cut mine a bit shorter to appeal to my children. 

100 grams (scant cup) 00 Pasta flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium egg
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp water

Combine the ingredients into a food processor. 

1) In a food processor, add all of the ingredients and blend until the dough resembles a rough wet sand. If you pinch it, it should come together. (This can also be done by hand by making a well in the centre of the flour and incorporating all of the ingredients, but it won't have the look of sand.)

2) Bring the dough together into a ball and let rest with cling film for 5 minutes. 

3) Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board. I like my noodles a bit thicker, but the will swell when they are cooked. 

4) Cut the noodles vertically and then horizontally. 

5) Toss the noodles with a bit more flour to prevent them from sticking together as they dry.

Let me know how you like it. With the rest of the chicken, I made a Chicken, Leek and Mushroom pie, as well as some risotto. That has kept us for almost a week of meals. What would you make with the leftover broth and chicken?

Grammy Wyckoff's Chicken Noodle Soup

Don and Gladys Wyckoff

Grandparents are amazing people. They swoop in for visits bringing a shocking array of treasures in their suitcases. When mine came to visit us in Boston in the 1970s my Grandmother would bring things like spray orange cheese-food and my Grandfather would lovingly carry on the airplane a hybrid orchid he had nurtured in his California greenhouse. These were special times! Spray cheese was certainly not something my mother would ever purchase for us. And an orchid arriving in New England was a rare event, especially when they were named for the grandchildren.

But the most unique gifts by far were the little captured times we shared together making something I'd never seen before. Grammy Wyckoff grew up in Kansas and moved to California as a married woman. Somewhere along that path, she learned to make Chicken Noodle Soup. On one of her rare trips to Boston, she spent a whole day making that soup with me. I couldn't have been more than 10 years old, but do you know, it was probably one of the most important gifts she ever gave me. I still make that soup to this day. Granted, I might not spend the time hand making the egg noodles she carefully rolled out and hung around the kitchen. I do, however, make my own chicken stock from our roast chicken. When any of us come down with a cold or sore throat, it is the thing that makes the world right again.


Now, I might add, my mother comes to my house in London with full suitcases of joy. She tried to bring my children the treasured spray cheese from across the sea, but I had to put my foot down on that one. She muttered something about it being good enough for my grandmother to bring us .... But what my children want more than anything is time making bran and molasses bread or perhaps a batch of homemade cookies or two. 

I've published the Grammy's Chicken Noodle Soup recipe in a separate blog post. Do try it, as I think it is a classic. http://www.lifeatmybench.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/chicken-noodle-soup.html

What is a favourite recipe one of your Grandparents taught you?