It’s that time of year. Sunny one day. Rainy the next. Chance of snow by this afternoon. A high near 60 degrees by tomorrow.
You get the story. It’s spring and here in Ohio, it’s days of unpredictable weather. I don’t mind it for I like spring to gently usher in the heat of summer.
Time to prepare for the annual spring cold! I have just the solution – homemade chicken soup! For years, chicken soup was such a mystery to me. It started with my Dad always bragging about my Grandmother’s soup – he would go on for hours how her broth was so clear and so flavorful. Then there was my Jewish Mother-in-Law….talk about hard acts to follow! During my first pregnancy, I craved matzo ball soup and every week, Nonnie would bring me a big jar of homemade soup. You can see why I was so intimated to make chicken soup.
Hubby came down with a cold and it was time to take the plunge. Oh my – why didn’t I make this years ago? I will never buy store bought broth again. I found this to be a delicious and easy homemade chicken stock recipe that tops any I’ve tried – including Nonnies!
The broth recipe comes from Foodie Crush and it’s the closest recipe I could find to match Nonnies. A pot full of veggies and chicken parts simmering for hours…
The beauty of this recipe is that not much chopping is needed. You simply throw in carrots, celery, onions, half heads of garlic and the one ingredient that makes it all special…parsnips. The parsnips add a special sweetness to the broth. I don’t use a whole chicken – I buy the cut up fryer which makes it easier to prepare.
I’ve made this soup with thick egg noodles, thin soup noodles and this time, with matzo balls. Any way you serve it, it’s delicious and you’ll have plenty of broth leftover to freeze!
Garnish the soup right before serving with fresh dill and parsley and it’s a winner!
Enjoy and Happy Spring!
- 1 cut up chicken fryer, 2 breast and leg quarters
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 head of garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- 6 carrots, leaving 2 of them unpeeled and cut into halves, and the remaining 4 peeled and cut into ¼ inch rounds
- 6 ribs celery, two of them cut in half and the remaining cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 parsnip, unpeeled cut into 3-inch chunks
- 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 3 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 6 ounces extra wide egg noodles or thin soup noodles
- Add the chicken pieces, onion, head of garlic, two unpeeled and halved carrots, two ribs of celery halves, parsnip halves to a large stock pot.
- Tie 15 stems of Italian parsley and 15 stems of thyme with a bit of kitchen string and add to the pot.
- Cover with cold water 1-2 inches above the chicken and veggies or 14 cups of water.
- Add 3 chicken bouillon cubes, bay leaves, black peppercorns and kosher salt.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a lightly rolling simmer and cook uncovered for 1¼ to 1½ hours or until chicken is cooked through and tender and stock is well flavored.
- If the stock tastes weak, add another chicken bouillon soup and a bit more salt.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool and remove the vegetables from the stock and discard.
- Place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth.
- Return the broth to the stock pot and add the chopped carrots and celery.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the egg noodles and cook for another 8 minutes or until noodles are tender but chewy.
- Remove the skin from the chicken and shred the chicken with two forks.
- Start by adding ¾ of the shredded chicken to the soup then add more if you have enough broth or reserve for another use.
- Season with more salt and pepper if desired and garnish with fresh chopped parsley and dill.
