Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

The first variation of this recipe was born on Thanksgiving Day during my freshman year of college back in November of 2000. It was a crisp, fall day when my mom called my dorm phone, wanting to know what she was supposed to do with a free 9 lb. turkey she had received from our local grocery store. We had never cooked a traditional American turkey dinner before then and she was befuddled as to what to do with this overgrown bird. Apparently she tried telling the clerk at the store that she didn’t want the free turkey, but he insisted so she begrudgingly took the smallest one they had. Long story short, I searched the Food Network website for inspiration and stumbled upon Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey. Luckily, the turkey came out great, the sides were yummy, and I was left with a spectacular turkey carcass after dinner, which I turned into a homemade stock for a turkey noodle soup.

I’ve added, omitted, and replaced a few ingredients since that first pot of soup and this is the recipe that has evolved over the last decade. The original turkey version has been replaced with a chicken once since I don’t always have roasted turkey bones on hand. This recipe works well with either option. As with most homemade dishes, I made this soup without a written recipe until last year, when I finally jotted down the ingredients plus their loose measurements. Please feel free to make adjustments per your own personal palette. 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts chicken stock (homemade or store-bought)
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
• 2 cups egg noodles (frozen or dried)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Add one cup of the chicken stock to a small bowl and whisk in the flour to make a slurry. Set aside.

Add the remaining chicken stock to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and add the egg noodles. Lower heat to a simmer and cook per package directions until noodles are almost tender.

As the noodles are simmering, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Saute the carrots over medium heat for five minutes. Add the celery, onion, and red bell pepper and continue cooking until all veggies have softened, approximately 10-15 additional minutes. Be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Once the noodles are ready, add the shredded chicken and cooked veggies and continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in the stock and flour slurry. Take care not to add the slurry while the soup is still simmering or lumps will form. Slowly bring everything back up to a rolling boil. Keep the heat on medium high for three to five minutes. Make sure the flour has cooked through before turning off the heat. Stir in the parsley and serve.

The cast of characters.

For the homemade stock, if you’re so inclined.

Coarse sea salt.

Mise en place.

Soup time!