Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

Stock

• 1 (3-5 lb)  roasting chickens (cleaned and trimmed of excess fat)
• 1 cup white onion
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1/2 cup carrot
• salt and pepper

Soup

• 2 whole star anise
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 whole cinnamon stick
• 1 whole clove
• 2 whole garlic cloves, smashed
• 9 peppercorns
• 12 ounces egg noodles (fine or thin)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 4 cups chicken meat (diced)

Directions

1. 1

   Place the whole chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil - once boiling add a hand of kosher salt - if you add the salt before the water boils your stock will be cloudy.

2. 2

   Add your vegetables to the stock they do not need to be peeled you will be removing them, simply chop into large pieces.

3. 3

   Cook for approximately 1-2 hrs or until the chicken meat starts to fall off the bone.

4. 4

   Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside. Remove all the veggies that remain in the stock. Allow to cool, once cool any fats will come to the top, remove the fats (sometimes the best way of doing this is to set the stock pot in the fridge and allow the fats to harden, its easier to remove).

5. 5

   Remove all skin from the chicken that has cooled and dice all of your available meat.

6. 6

   In a large pot add your olive oil and diced onions, saute till tender.

7. 7

   Using cheese cloth make a 6" x 6" square place your star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, garlic, clove and peppercorns in the cheese cloth and bring all four edges to the center and tie with a piece of kitchen string, leave the string approximately 6 inches long after you tie, this will be tied to the handle of your pot for easy removal.

8. 8

   Add your cooled chicken stock to the onions that have been sauting.

9. 9

   Cook this for approximately one hour over med low heat with the lid on. Remove the garni when you are ready to serve the soup (the cheese cloth bundle).

10. 10

    In separate pot cook your noodles to el dente, when done reserve 1 cup of your noodle water. Drain the noodles and drizzle with 2 tsps of good olive oil.

11. 11

    Check your soup for flavor, if you have not reached your desired level of chicken flavor I add one or two bouillon cubes. Add the chicken meat, and parsley and the cup of noodle water. Just before serving add your noodles.