This classic soup is made with a golden, rich four-hour stock that guarantees comfort and nourishment. I wrote this recipe with the intention of gifting this to a friend in need, but of course this would be excellent in the freezer for the cold months ahead. The stock takes an entire morning to cook, giving ample time to prep the mirepoix for the soup. You can throw your carrot and celery ends right into the stock, making cleanup a breeze. The soup gets assembled individually, like in disposable deli containers or mason jars, making it perfect for transport and reheating. Pick up a basket and a bag of pasta, handwrite reheating instructions, and you have six comforting meals ready to gift. Save this recipe as a gentle reminder that a simple soup can help soothe a not-so-simple time.
- 1 4lb. whole chicken
- 5 whole carrots
- 6 stalks celery
- 2 large white onions
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 small bundle parsley
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons butter
- olive oil, salt, pepper as needed
- 6 16oz. mason jars or disposable deli containers
- 1 box favorite soup noodles
- Add the chicken to a 8-10-qt. stock pot
- Cut three unpeeled carrots, three celery, and one onion into thirds and add to the stock pot.
- Add three cloves of garlic, peppercorns, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves.
- Add cold water until chicken and vegetables are covered by 2"
- Bring to a boil, then quickly reduce heat to medium. The stock will cook uncovered at a gentle simmer for the next four hours. However, for the first thirty minutes, skim impurities with a spoon and discard.
- After four hours, the stock will be reduced by several inches indicating it is ready.
- Carefully remove the chicken as it will easily fall off the bone.
- Strain the stock into another bowl or pot through a colander to discard the remaining solids.
- Once cool enough to handle, shred and refrigerate the chicken, and discard the bones.
- Add a teaspoon of salt to the stock, tasting and adjusting as necessary. Set aside until needed.
- Peel the remaining carrots and onion as needed.
- Dice the carrot, celery, and onion in small pieces. Mince the garlic and set aside.
- Heat one count of olive oil and the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for five minutes until the onions are translucent but not brown.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Add one cup of the reserved stock, and cook until carrots are tender. This will take less than ten minutes.
- Divide the vegetables evenly into six jars (about 1/2 cup each jar). Add 1/2 cup of the shredded chicken and then fill each jar with stock.
- Create reheat instructions similar to the photo above, and fill a gift basket with the instructions, jars of soup, and a bag of your favorite soup noodles.
- Impurities will look like white foam. Skim and discard every ten minutes for the first half hour of cooking.
- You can remove the chicken from the bones after two hours of cooking to prevent it from getting dry and add the bones back to the stock. However, I never do this as it'll moisten up in the soup.
- I like to chop my soup vegetables while my stock is cooking, so my scraps are added and useful.
- I also like to make my stock and prep my vegetables a day ahead, however, the stock will coagulate overnight and may need gentle reheating when assembling. The more gel-like the stock is, the richer in collagen!
- Freeze the containers after 3-4 days for 3-4 months.
- Cook 4 ounces of pasta per serving of soup.
- You may have leftover chicken, which I never seem to complain about.
