Cold weather means soup weather. And soup weather is the best weather ever, am I right? Here in Michigan, it feels like it's cold for most of the year, so it's always time for soup. I don't know about you, but whether I'm trying to warm up on a chilly day, or I'm feeling a bit under the weather, chicken noodle soup is my go-to.

This isn't your average canned chicken noodle soup. This recipe is adapted from grandma's chicken noodle soup recipe. She has been making her chicken noodle soup for as long as I can remember, and it's seriously SO good! This soup is very similar, but kicked up with more herbs and spices.
This soup takes a bit of time to make, but it is so worth every second. It's super hearty and filling. It's packed with TONS of vegetables, egg noodles, and an entire chicken! So if you've got a few hours, I highly recommend giving it a try!
Why use a whole chicken?
Using a whole chicken might seem a little much, but it is so worth it. Only using chicken breasts would work, but they can get tough if cooked too long.
With using a whole chicken, you get a great mixture of light and dark meat in the soup. Additionally, you get so much more flavor from cooking with the bones and skin.

Tips and shortcuts
Use a precooked chicken. If you don't have time to cook a whole raw chicken, don't fret! A lot of grocery stores have freshly roasted chickens available daily for purchase. If you need to shave a bit of time off of this recipe, this is a good option you can take. You'll only need to boil it for about 30 minutes.
Prep your vegetables while the chicken cooks. All of the vegetables get added to the soup once the chicken is out of the pot. I find it makes things easier to have the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic chopped and ready to go in, so I can add it to the pot as soon as I take the chicken out. This also gives them more time to cook and get soft while the chicken is cooling.
It makes a lot of soup, so you'll have plenty of leftovers. This isn't a skimpy soup. When done, this will be a FULL pot of soup. It's perfect for feeding a big crowd. We usually have it for a few meals throughout the week, and freeze whatever's left after that to enjoy another time. Put the leftovers you want to freeze in a freezer-safe containers, and freeze up to 2 months. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stove.

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