Description
Whole chicken slowly roasts in an intensely aromatic broth infused onions, garlic, & fresh herbs, until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender. If you’ve never made chicken soup with whole chicken, you are in the right place – this is the coziest & easiest homemade chicken soup recipe you’ll ever make.
Ingredients
Scale
for the roasted chicken:
- one (1) 4-5 lb whole Never Any! Fresh Antibiotic Free Young Chicken, giblets removed
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- one (1) 0.75-ounce pack “poultry blend” fresh herbs (or approx. 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 sprigs fresh sage, & 10–12 sprigs fresh thyme)
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 64 ounces Simply Nature Organic Chicken Broth
to finish the soup:
- 8 ounces Reggano Wide Egg Noodles
- 2–3 medium carrots, finely diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium stalk celery, finely diced
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven.
- Prepare the chicken: Remove the chicken from its packaging. Using paper towels, pat the surface of the chicken as dry as possible. Season the entire chicken, including its cavity, liberally with 1 tablespoon kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Optional: Using kitchen twine, tie the chicken’s legs together, securing them tightly against the breasts.
- Brown the chicken: Add the olive oil to a large (5-quart), heavy-bottomed, oven-safe Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, carefully place the chicken in the pot, breast side down. Brown 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip the chicken, continuing to brown 3-4 minutes per side. Once browned, position the chicken in the center of the pot, breast side up.
- Build the soup: Tie the poultry herbs together using kitchen twine for easy removal (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add them to the pot along with the thinly sliced onion, garlic, lemon, bay leaves, & whole peppercorns, arranging everything around the chicken. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, taking care to avoid pouring directly over the top of the chicken (which causes the crispy browned skin to get totally soggy!).
- Roast: Transfer the pot to the oven & roast on the center-rack, uncovered, for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Carefully remove the pot from the oven.
- Strain: Carefully remove the chicken from the pot, setting aside on a plate or cutting board – the chicken will be fall-apart tender, so just be careful! Strain the chicken stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-safe mixing bowl or a second pot. Transfer the strained broth back into the pot or Dutch oven the chicken roasted in. Set aside.
- Finish the soup:
- Boil the egg noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the egg noodles. Cook, stirring occasionally, according to package directions, 6-8 minutes. Strain & set aside.
- Cook the veggies: Meanwhile, cook the soup veggies. Add the carrots, onion & celery to the pot with the roasted chicken stock. Bring to a boil & cook 10-15 minutes, until the veggies have softened.
- Shred the chicken: Meanwhile, as the veggies cook & the noodles boil, shred the chicken. Remove the chicken meat from the carcass & pull into bite-sized pieces, as chunky or as fine as you’d like. Add the shredded chicken to the soup pot, stirring to combine. Cook 1-2 minutes, until reheated. Taste & season with additional salt & ground black pepper, as desired.
- Serve. Add a handful of the cooked egg noodles to a soup bowl. Ladle the chicken soup over top. Serve immediately, with a slice of buttered crusty bread, as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Homemade chicken soup will keep, stored in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Transfer cooled chicken soup to an airtight container. If you made egg noodles for your soup, store it in a separate airtight container. It’s so important to store the noodles separately – if left in broth or stock for a long period of time, they will absorb liquid like crazy, which not only makes the pasta soggy when you reheat it, but also messes with the overall ratio of liquid in your soup. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freezing: Transfer cooled homemade chicken soup to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Same concept for storing pasta separately applies for freezing – I’d actually suggest boiling pasta fresh when you reserve the soup. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat your soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- 15-minute meal prep: All of the prep work involved in this recipe is chopping veggies. Chop them all in advance, storing in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to prep your soup, all you have to do is get cooking – seriously so easy!:
- Thinly slice 1 medium yellow onion
- Dice 1 medium yellow onion
- Finely dice 1 stalk celery
- Dice 2-3 medium carrots (peel as desired)
