Chapter Text
You will need:
1 whole chicken
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 bay leaves, to taste
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (buy a jar pre-minced with juice; you won't regret it)
1 tablespoon minced ginger (optional, but it's something of a cure-all and super flavorful)
kosher/sea salt (yes, you can use regular table salt, but I like kosher better)
black pepper
1 pkg. celery (tops cut off for the broth, 3-4 ribs for the soup)
1 medium onion (yellow or white)
3-4 carrots (or a handful of baby carrots, but I think they're too sweet)
3-4 medium russet potatoes (or 6-8 red or yellow potatoes)
dried basil
dried sage
dried thyme
dried parsley
egg noodles, either frozen or homemade (instructions for homemade at the end) but not dried
crockpot
stock pot
long-handled spoon
collander/strainer
[Note: 1-qt glass jars are handy, but not mandatory. You won't use all the broth at once, so you'll need something to store/freeze the rest, and a quart of broth diluted with a quart of water is the best ratio for this recipe.]
Broth Instructions:
This soup's health-inducing awesomeness starts with the broth, which starts with a roasted chicken. I prefer to roast one myself ("350°F for 20 min per pound plus 15 minutes" is your most basic chicken-roasting procedure), stuffing the cavity with wedges of lemon, apple, and onion and slathering the entire skin with herbs and butter melted together. I like to rub the butter mix over AND under the skin on the breast, but for sure get it all over the outside.
But if you don't have time/energy/patience for that (we've all been there), a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken purchased from any grocery store works, too. I recommend lemon pepper so you keep that nice zing of lemon for the broth.
Pick most of the white meat off (and some of the dark meat from the thighs, if you like, but leave some of the dark meat to flavor the broth) and refrigerate to use later in the soup. I recommend eating a little, especially if you roasted it yourself. It's delicious.
Keep the skin with the bones and leave the stuffing inside.
Pull out the ol' crockpot. A larger crockpot will net you more broth, but it won't be as rich, so I use my slightly smaller one and dilute later.
First, cut the leafy tops off the celery and throw them in the bottom of the crock. Add minced garlic. Garlic is a natural antibiotic and good for your heart, so if you like it, put in as much as you want. Add minced ginger because it tastes awesome and is ridiculously good for you (or, because mincing ginger is frustrating, just lop off a few half-inch chunks from the root).
Go easy on the salt at this point - you can always add more later, but if you oversalt at the start, you'll have to dilute later. I recommend no more than two tablespoons to start. Black pepper is good here, especially fresh-cracked, but again, don't go overboard. You can always add more later. Add bay leaf/leaves.
Place the picked chicken carcass on top of the celery leaves, etc. Splash ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar over the bones to help leach out the minerals. Don't worry - you won't really taste it later, but it's CRUCIAL. It does most of the work for you.
Fill the crock with water until just below the rim. Some recipes recommend filling to an inch below the rim, but the longer you crockpot, the richer your broth will be, and it won't come to a rolling boil or anything, so you can fill a little more if you want.
You don't have to stir or anything. Just put the lid on, plug in the crockpot, and turn it on low. Check your settings; some crockpots have a "keep warm" setting, but don't use that to actually cook. Always use "low" here.
Leave it for at least 8 hours. I prefer overnight and even through the next day, if you work. 12-15 hours is good to shoot for for thick, rich, health-filled broth.
Soup Instructions:
When it's ready, turn off and unplug your crockpot. It will be HOTTER THAN THE FIRES OF HELL, so please use potholders and be wary of spills, as the broth is like lava and the richness makes it hard to wash off quickly, making for a worse burn.
Put your stock pot in the sink basin and place the collander/strainer over the top edge. USING POTHOLDERS, heft the crock up out of the pot and carefully dump the entire contents into the strainer. Watch out for steam, because it's seriously hot. Not exaggerating. SUPER HOT. Please don't get burned.
Set the crock back in the pot (it's just handy to keep it out of the way until you're ready for clean-up). Lift the strainer (if it's plastic, you're okay bare-handed, but if it's a metal one, keep using your potholders) and give it a little shake to shift the bones around and release any sneak-broth from inside the chicken cavity. You can even smoosh with a wooden spoon if you like, but don't GRIND it. Gritty broth is not good broth.
Toss the bones/vegetation. If you have a wire strainer, it can be beneficial to run the broth through it and into another pot, just to make sure you get out any fragments, but it's not a dealbreaker if you don't.
If you're using glass jars, this is a good time to pour off the broth you won't be using now, as it's easier to measure out a quart that way. Otherwise, assume about half the broth should stay and half the broth should go into a storage container to be refrigerated overnight, then frozen for future use.
However much broth you decide to use, add an equal volume of water to dilute in your stock pot. Give it a little taste to see if it's salted enough for your tastes. Keep in mind that all the vegetables and herbs will add flavor as well. Add more pepper, if you like, or more minced garlic.
Not gonna lie: I'll sometimes add either a beer or a dash of champagne/white wine to the broth. It makes for an awesome flavor. If you do so, don't use quite so much water.
Chop/dice your vegetables - celery, carrots, potato, onion - as coarse or small as you like. If I'm sick, I don't want big chunks. If I'm just in the mood for soup, I like hearty pieces.
Turn the burner under the stock pot on high to get it started and toss in your veggies and however much of the reserved chicken you like. Stir occasionally until it starts to boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and let it simmer until the carrots and potatoes are as done as you want them.
Taste frequently to... test the texture. Yeah. That's the ticket.
If you're making your own egg noodles, now is the time. Instructions for that at the end.
When your veggies are right where you want them, add your choice of dried herbs. I prefer LOTS of basil, so I cup my hand and fill my palm (probably a heaping tablespoon or more). Otherwise, about a teaspoon apiece.
Stir to distribute, then add your noodles. Don't just throw them all in one bunch, even if you're using store-bought frozen, because they'll just clump together in a mess. Add them a scant handful at a time while stirring constantly. If you've made your own, you'll notice that the excess flour will thicken your broth. Don't worry - it's good. If it gets too thick for your liking, you can always water it down and salt to taste.
Keep stirring until the noodles are well-separated and distinct, then stir occasionally until they're cooked to your preference (5-10 minutes?). Homemade noodles will swell - again, no worries. They'll just take up some broth volume is all.
When the noodles are done, you are ready to feast. I like to serve over creamy sour-cream-and-butter mashed potatoes, but if you're sick and eating this to help your body fight it off, that'll be too rich for your system. The herby steam will help clear your sinuses, and the ginger/garlic/broth will help your system fight off the plague.
Enjoy! Feel better soon!
Homemade Egg Noodles:
I prefer to make a double batch for this big a pot of soup, but you won't always need that much, so here's the list for a single batch:
1 large-to-jumbo egg
½ teaspoon salt
water
white flour
[I'm sure there was an actual recipe for this at some point, but my family and I have been making these forever with the same by-touch method. Yes, you can substitute some of the white flour with wheat, but it makes for a weird texture and will be much drier/breadier. Not my thing, but rock out.]
Crack your egg as close to "in half" as you can and dump into a mixing bowl. Fill an eggshell half with cool water, add to egg, fill it again, add to egg. Basically, you want equal ratios of egg and water. Add salt and beat with a fork until well-mixed but not too frothy.
Add two handfuls of flour and stir in with a fork. Add another handful and stir in. If dough is still too soft and damp, add another scant handful. You don't want it too dry or hard, but you do want it to start firming up and not sticking so badly. I imagine this is about a cup and a half of flour at this point, give or take.
Heavily dust a broad, flat surface. Scrape dough out, using a spoon or spatula if needed. Dust with more flour and knead gently, bringing all the sticky bits together until the dough is soft and elastic but not as sticky. Again, don't go too dry/hard or your noodles will be bready and heavy.
Flour under and over the dough and roll it out thin. It'll be stretchy and try to shrink back, but just keep rolling. If it sticks to the table, add more flour underneath. Egg noodle thickness depends on your taste. I like mine pretty thin, but thick is okay if you like.
When you have the dough as thin as you like, heavily dust the top all the way to the edges and roll it lengthwise like a jellyroll. You do not want anything sticky, and any excess flour will shake off later or just thicken the broth, so use as much as you think you need.
With a floured knife, slice the roll crosswise into narrow strip-rolls, again to your personal taste. I like around half an inch or less. Unroll the strips (which is why you used a lot of flour before you rolled it up) and break off pieces as long or short as you want - two or three finger-widths is a good gauge for starters. Scatter the pieces in the flour so they don't stick and allow to air-dry until it's time to add them to the soup.
Cook as described in the recipe, stirring frequently and adding by scant handfuls so they don't clump up and cook into a chunk.
Enjoy!
