Grandma's Chicken Soup

Let's cook

1. 1

   Start in cold water

   Put the whole chicken in a stockpot with the onions, garlic, thyme, bay, and half the carrot and celery. Cover with cold water.

   💡

   Cold water draws flavour out of the bird. Starting hot seals it in and gives you a weaker broth.

2. 2

   Simmer, never boil

   Bring slowly to a bare simmer and hold it there for 75 minutes, skimming the grey foam off the top for the first 15 minutes.

   💡

   Boiling makes the broth cloudy and the meat stringy. Bare simmer throughout.

3. 3

   Pull the chicken

   Lift the chicken out and let it cool enough to handle. Strain the broth and discard the spent vegetables.

4. 4

   Shred

   Pull the meat off the bones in large shreds, discarding skin and bones. You should get about 4 cups.

5. 5

   Finish the soup

   Return the broth to the pot with the remaining carrot and celery. Simmer 10 minutes, add the noodles and cook until just tender, then return the chicken.

6. 6

   Season properly

   Add the parsley and lemon juice, then salt generously — home-made broth needs far more salt than people expect. Taste and keep adjusting.

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