Overnight Chicken Soup
The first time I ever made chicken soup, I dropped the whole pot on the floor as I was putting it in the fridge… this soup has come a long way.
This soup is very forgiving so enjoy the process.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 whole leek
1 whole parsnip
1 onion
1/2 bunch celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
8 carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves
1 bunch of parsley
1 tablespoon peppercorns
Salt
1 pack egg noodles, you can use any of your preference, I prefer a small bow-tie shape
Instructions
You will need a large pot for this soup as you will want to make sure your chicken is fully immersed in water.
Wash your chicken with salt inside and out under cold water and place the chicken in the pot.
Cut the green end of the leek and rinse under water as they tend to collect a lot of dirt and place the whole leek into the pot.
Peel and trim the ends from the parsnip, and place the parsnip in the pot.
Leaving the onion’s skin on; trim the ends, cut in half, and place it in the pot.
Wash and trim your celery into 2-inch pieces and place in the pot.
Peel carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces and place in the pot.
Add the garlic, parsley, and peppercorns to the pot and generously season with salt.
Cover with water and bring everything to a boil. As the soup begins to boil you will need to spoon of the foam that collects at the top of the pot. Once it comes to a complete boil, turn the heat to the lowest simmer possible, put on a tight-fitting lid, and leave to cook for 10 to 14 hours.
Do not stir or disturb your soup. No need to check on it or stir it around. Leave it alone.
The next morning you will want to take a plate and two bowls. Using a mesh skimming spoon, very carefully take the soup apart (moving everything around less will make it easier to take the soup apart). Use one bowl for all the vegetables you will throw away. For me, this includes leek, parsnip, onion, garlic, parsley, and peppercorns. In the second bowl, I put the carrots and celery.
On the plate, I put the whole chicken, and once it is cool enough to handle, shred half the chicken and reserve the other half for later. Add the carrots, celery, and shredded chicken back in the pot to complete your soup. Taste and generously season with salt and pepper.
In a separate pot, cook your noodles as the package directs and combine with the soup in the serving dishes.
Store the noodles separately from the soup. Combining the pasta in the soup will cause it to get soggy and gross.
NOTE: I usually save half the chicken and make another dish from it; chicken salad, pot pie, enchiladas.