Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
• 4 quarts cold water
• 2 large onions, one halved and one diced
• 4 carrots, two halved and two sliced into coins
• 4 celery ribs, two halved and two sliced
• 6 parsley stems plus 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
• 8 ounces wide egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Before you cook

• Pull any giblets out of the chicken cavity and rinse the bird.
• Halve one onion, two carrots and two celery ribs for the broth, and dice or slice the rest for the finished soup.
• Tie the parsley stems, thyme and bay leaves together with kitchen string.

Steps

1. Put the whole chicken in a stockpot and cover it with the cold water.
2. Bring the pot slowly to a bare simmer over medium heat, which takes about 25 minutes.
3. Skim the gray foam off the surface with a ladle and discard it.
4. Add the halved onion, halved carrots, halved celery, the herb bundle, the peppercorns and 1 tablespoon salt.
5. Simmer the broth uncovered for 1 hour, never letting it reach a rolling boil.
6. Lift the chicken out onto a sheet pan and let it cool for 20 minutes.
7. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot and discard the spent vegetables and herbs.
8. Skim the fat from the surface of the broth with a wide spoon.
9. Pull the chicken meat off the bones in bite-sized pieces and discard the skin and bones.
10. Melt the butter in the broth pot over medium heat and add the diced onion, sliced carrots and sliced celery.
11. Cook the vegetables for 8 minutes, until they soften at the edges.
12. Bring the broth to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes so the vegetables are tender.
13. Add the egg noodles and cook them for 6 minutes, until just tender.
14. Return the pulled chicken to the pot and heat it through for 2 minutes.
15. Stir in the lemon juice, chopped parsley and black pepper.
16. Taste for salt, adjust, and ladle into bowls right away.