Chicken Noodle Soup

The Only Soup You'll Need This Winter!

I really don’t think this soup needs much of an intro - quite simply, it speaks straight to the soul and fixes all problems (sadly not homelessness or world peace)! In our house it’s commonly referred to as CNS - as when you’re in need of this nectar, you need it stat and nothing will sate that craving for the brothy goodness!

While I’d love to profess that it’s a cure-all, I’m not sure if it actually fights off germs and colds, but even if it doesn’t, it a) feels like it should and b) is bloody delicious.

And don’t let the fact that this is an overnight/ ‘24 hour method’ put you off - it’s minimal work, just a lot of simmering and chilling. If you’re still unsure, you can se a video of me making it HERE.

What you’ll need (serves 5-6)

• 1 Whole chicken

• 4 celery sticks roughly chopped

• 1 leek roughly chopped

• 4 carrots roughly chopped

• 1 onion roughly chopped

• Bunch of flat leaf parsley roughly chopped

• Any other leftover veg that needs using - roughly chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed with skin on

• Palm full of black peppercorns

• 4 stock cubes (veg or chicken, or a mixture of both)

• 2 nests of rice noodles

• 6 spring onions finely chopped

Method:

1. Bring a large pan, 1/2 - 2/3 full of water to the boil.

2. When water bubbles, add two stock cubes, then add the chicken, chopped veg, parsley, peppercorns, and garlic.

3. Reduce to a low heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours.

4. After 2 hours, add the last 2 stock cubes and stir. Add a bit more water to top up if you need to.

5. To maximise the output of this nectar. Once cooled, sieve out all the veg; set chicken, meat aside, and put the liquid in the fridge overnight (or 6 hours min). I usually strain this 2-3 times to remove all the bits.

6. Shred the chicken meat and pop in the fridge too.

7. (The next day/6 hours later) Remove the liquid from fridge and scrape the fat off the liquid with a spoon.

8. Pop the soup pot back on a low heat and bring to a low simmer.

9. Add the shredded chicken meat and noodles, simmer for 10 minutes.

10. Season well at this stage.

11. Throw in your spring, onions, and simmer for a further few minutes.

Serve with plenty more seasoning and crusty, buttered bread to ensure maximum goodness.