The weather has gotten colder and has put us in a soup mood around here. Add to that, the fact that I have not been feeling well (I’m incredibly stuffy) and that means it is definitely time to have Granny’s Chicken Soup.
This can be eaten as a Trim Healthy Mama Crossover (XO) meal when made with Yukon Gold potatoes and broken up Dreamfields spaghetti noodles or some brown rice noodles. If you make it ahead, chill it and scrape off the fat it could be an “e” (healthy carb) meal.
As I said, I’m not feeling good, so I just went with the crossover and broken brown rice noodles. I’m going to share how to make the soup here today but I hope you’ll hop back over to the first time I shared it and read about Granny and how she made and served it.
Here is Granny’s wonderful chicken soup recipe. Well, recipe may be overstating it. This is another of those some of this and some of that recipes. 
But the ingredients are very simple.
These are not the right noodles but I no longer have access to the right noodles. This is angel hair pasta broken up, which is no where as good as fine egg noodles since this pasta is eggless but we make do.
Without further adieu, here are the directions to make a really yummy chicken soup.
Scrub carrots, wash celery, and peel potatoes and onion.
Cut the carrots into chunks. I cut them into chunks that will cook in about the same time, so the tips of the carrot are larger chunks than the end near the top.
Chop the potatoes into chunks a bit larger than the carrots. I have found that they cook faster than the carrots.
Cut an onion in half and the celery into about thirds.
Place all of these veggies in a large pot with a whole chicken. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low boil/simmer, depending on how much water you used, and cook until the chicken is cooked through. This takes about an hour to an hour and a half.
I used way too much water the last time I made this and had to cook it longer in order to get the broth rich enough. Also, Mike turned the heat down and so it took longer for my chicken to get done.
When the chicken is nearly done, you want to cook your noodles in a separate pot. I like to use some broth or boil the neck and innards, remove them and use that broth for the noodles.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the pot, I put it on a rimmed cookie sheet, and remove the meat from the bones. I then remove the onion and celery and toss those because I only include them for flavor.
Fish out the potatoes and carrots and place in a serving bowl, so each person can get what they want.
Mash the veggies in your bowl to your desired consistency.
Then carefully add some noodles and ladle in some broth and CAREFULLY carry it back to the table and enjoy. OH! You’ll need salt! This is one dish I don’t salt as I cook it. I add salt on top of my veggie before I add the noodles and broth.
Mike and the kids add the chicken to their soup.
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken
- About 4 pounds of potatoes
- About 1 pound of carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 yellow onion
- Extra fine egg noodles or angle hair pasta
Instructions
- Ensure the chicken is thawed. Remove the innards and rinse it out. Place in the pot.
- Scrub carrots and cut in chunks. Add to the pot.
- Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Add to the pot.
- Wash celery stalks and cut into thirds. Add to the pot.
- Peel a med-large yellow onion. Cut in half and add to the pot.
- Cover with water, a couple of inches above the chicken.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low boil or high simmer.
- Cook until chicken is cooked through, 1-2 hours.
- Cook innards in water, then remove innards and cook noodles in the broth or just use water.
- Remove chicken from pot and remove the meat from the skin and bones.
- Discard onions and celery, if you don't care to eat them.
- To serve:
- Put the desired number of cooked potato and carrot chunks in your bowl. Mash with a fork. Add some noodles and then the broth. Add salt and pepper as desired and enjoy.
I hope you’ll enjoy this easy and economical soup!
Until next time, God bless,
Michele ºÜº