This classic rendition of chicken soup starts the old- fashioned way, by making a from-scratch broth. But instead of using a whole chicken we turned to meaty chicken thighs, which kept things easier; they also added intense, meaty flavor to the broth.
To cut down on greasiness, we removed the skin after browning and before letting the thighs simmer along with the chopped and sauteed onion and bay leaves. Since most people prefer white meat in their chicken soup, we simply poached two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the simmering broth, removing them when tender to add to the soup at the end.
With the broth and the meat taken care of, we turned our attention to the soup with an eye toward keeping things simple and traditional. Onion, carrot, and celery and some fresh thyme fit the bill. As for the noodles, cooking them right in the broth intensified their flavor.
Note that the thighs are used to flavor the broth, but once the broth is strained, the meat can be shredded and used for chicken salad or a pot pie. If you prefer dark meat in your soup, you can omit the chicken breasts and add the shredded thigh meat to the soup instead.
CLASSIC CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Servings: 8-10
Start to finish: 1 hour
For the broth:
4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
12 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
For the soup:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
6 ounces wide egg noodles
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Nutrition information per serving: 170 calories; 68 calories from fat; 8 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 29 mg cholesterol; 234 mg sodium; 18 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 6 g protein.
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