i never liked homemade chicken or turkey soup growing up. the smell of the the boiling carcass into broth made me nauseous and i just didn't want anything to do with. it wasn't until recently when our friends, the Hansens made a simple chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles that i realized how delicious and comforting it is!
their method is simple: cook a few chicken breasts in a crockpot on low for around 8 hours with some spices and bouillon; shred the chicken, use the broth and add some egg noodles.
i like this simple version, and they serve theirs over mashed potatoes, which seems so weird, but it makes the soups so smooth and creamy.
i made some homemade chicken stock over the past few days (thanks to Pinterest and recipe from here) in the crockpot and will be canning it today (can freeze as well, but i prefer most of my food storage to be shelf-stable). so here's an alternative version to homemade chicken noodle soup starting with homemade stock in a crockpot!
i especially liked making my own stock because it is so full of nutrients! the bones in the broth and the addition of using apple cider vinegar leaches the minerals from the bones into the stock. the broth contains minerals in a form that the body can absorb easily, such as: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, and other trace minerals.
the broth also contains the broken down material from the cartilage and tendons- that include things like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine. these are the kinds of things found in expensive supplements for arthritis and joint pain.
chicken broth supports the immune system by promoting the absorption of vitamins and minerals. so yes, chicken soup really is good for the body!
your family is getting ALL of the nutrition available to them through this broth!
you can use your stock in soups, gravies, casseroles, over rice etc.
you can use a whole roasted chicken to make your stock, but i prefer to roast the chicken, eat it with your family, pick of most of the easily removed meat and then use the rest of the entire carcass {such a gross word!}to make the stock.
you can add the giblets in your stock as well. great nutrition from those organs.
other reasons to make your own homemade chicken stock?
1) it's WAY cheaper than buying regular or organic chicken broth (which by the way has almost no flavor!!!)
2) i have been using powdered chicken bouillon in place of broth for about 3 years now in order to save money because i use chicken "stock" a lot in recipes. i actually took the time to read the label the other day. ingredients: corn syrup solids, salt, cornstarch, hydrolyzed corn, soy protein, rendered chicken fat, sugar, onion powder, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, spices, turmeric, dehydrated parsley, silicon dioxide, yeast extract, sweet whey, garlic powder, caramel color, dehydrated onion.
sound nourishing? bleck.
i will still buy this to have in my long-term food storage and use in a pinch but i cannot go back now to using this as my staple when i've seen how easy and pretty much effortless it is to make several quarts of homemade stock in my crockpot over several days basically for {free!!!}
i hope you try it out!!!
chicken stock in a crockpot: makes approx. quarts
1 whole chicken carcass
3-4 carrots, scrubbed and cut in half
2-3 celery stalks, washed, leaves on, cut in half
1-2 onions, cut in half, skins on
2 whole garlic cloves, skin on
1 tsp. peppercorns
2 bay leaves
fresh herbs if available (thyme, basil, parsley, even cilantro)
2 T. apple cider vinegar
1) put carcass into 6-quart crockpot, adding in vegetables and spices on top.
2) fill crockpot up to 1" from the top with filtered water.
3) add apple cider vinegar.
4) cover and allow to sit for 1 hour in order for the apple cider vinegar to leach the minerals from the bones before cooking starts.
5) turn to low and cook for 12 hours; at this time remove any meat left on the carcass and save for use. extract 1/2 of the liquid (stock) from the crockpot; straining with cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer and pour into quart-sized canning jars.
6) cover jars loosely and allow to cool on the counter prior to refrigerating.
(you will fill your fridge over the next 3-5 days with jars if you are going to process them for canning; otherwise. leave 1 1/2" headspace and freeze the jars, or if you prefer freeze in quart-sized bags or plastic (BPA-free) containers).
7) add enough filtered water back in to fill up to 1" of the top; cover and cook on low another 12 hours.
i started my stock in the evening after dinner; so i was able to pull my first stock out by 9 a.m. the next morning and the second stock at 9 p.m. that night, and so on for 3 days. you can continue this process every 12 hours for 3-5 days.
NOTES:
i don't usually have garlic cloves on hand (unless i grow them in my garden and store them) so if you don't have the whole cloves on hand you can use some powdered garlic or minced garlic.
your stock should be rich in color and aroma, like below.
now for soup!
homemade egg noodles: enough for 1 large batch of soup
2 C. flour
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. - 1/2 C. water
1) mix flour and salt.
2) make a well in the center of the flour and add in egg; begin to mix together by hand until a thick, sticky dough forms.
3) add in water, 1 T. at a time, until dough comes together into a soft, workable dough.
4) turn out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a circle. cut the circle into fourths.
5) working with 1/4th of the dough at a time, pat out the circle and then roll flat to about 1/8" thickness and slice with a pizza cutter into 1/4" strips.
6) add raw noodle strips into boiling stock and stir occasionally to keep from sticking. simmer along with other soup ingredients for 30 minutes-1 hour prior to serving.
photo from {how to simplify}.
homemade chicken noodle soup: serves 6-8.
14 C. chicken stock (3 1/2-4 quarts)
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, scrubbed and diced into large chunks
3 celery stocks, diced (my family prefers no celery, optional)
2 tsp. minced garlic, optional
1 T. olive oil
1-2 C. cooked chicken, diced into bite-size pieces
1/2 T. oregano
1/2 T. basil
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. turmeric, optional
all of the spices are optional, as your stock will already be flavorful. sometimes i want a "lighter" soup and sometimes i want more robust flavors (adding in more spices).
1) bring stock to a boil in large stockpot and add in noodles when ready.
2) meanwhile, heat olive oil in frying pan and saute onion, garlic, carrot and celery if using. this brings an extra depth of flavor to the vegetables prior to adding them into the soup.
3) add spices into the vegetables and continue to saute until aromas are very fragrant and onions are translucent.
4) add vegetables and spices into stockpot, along with chicken; turn to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow flavors to combine.
soup can be thickened with cornstarch or flour if desired. often the flour on the noodles will slightly thicken soup. also, if serving over mashed potatoes, the potatoes will naturally thicken the stock.
i served mine with cheesy zucchini garlic & herb biscuits.
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