Chicken noodle soup

Rory came down with a head cold and decided to stay home today. We had no OJ or anything in the house so when I went out to pick that stuff up I also picked up everything for chicken noodle soup. Some celery, onion, carrots, a four plus pound chicken and some egg noodles.

I did a rough chop on all the veggies and four cloves of crushed garlic to a stock pot. I just let them get a little warm in the bottom of the pan and threw the chicken in whole. I filled the pot with water to where the chicken was just covered. I added some salt, pepper, sage, thyme and a couple of bay leaves. I brought it to a boil and then turned the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about an hour. Then I took the lid off and let it cook for another 90 minutes.

I removed the chicken and let it cool for about 30 minutes. I then picked all the meat from the bones and places it back in the pot to cook for another couple of hours, simmering all the way. Right before I was ready to serve I brought it to a boil and added the egg noodles and cooked till the noodles were done.

It turned out quite well, if I do say so myself. The trick is tasting the broth/stock throughout and adjusting the seasoning accordingly. I also skimmed quite a bit of fat off it as well.