I figured my first recipe posting should be a good, simple standby. Soups are one of my favorite things to cook since they are hard to mess up, generally easy to make and super nutritious and delicious.

This chicken soup recipe is actually really simple. If you prep everything in the morning, it should only take you about twenty minutes once the stock is done. So if you aren’t afraid to leave your stove on while you are work, I suggest you try it out. If you are scared and/or lack insurance, it’s a good weekend recipe for the cold weather. So you better make this before Springs comes, because then I’ll be posting about salads and short skirts.

I get sick about six times a year. The only good thing about this is that I have an excuse to make myself my chicken noodle soup. Matt said it’s best chicken noodle soup he’s ever had and he’s not prone to lie about the quality of food. This recipe makes about eight large servings, so you will be eating it for days. I suggest giving some of it away. And who doesn’t like free food? Even communists do! And those guys hate everything! Take some over to someone’s house and it could lead to sexy results. You can half-ass it and used canned or boxed stock but I am not responsible for the less-than-delicious result: You can blame Sandra Lee.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Active Cooking: 30 minutes
Inactive Cooking: Two to eight hours

For the stock:

• 1 whole chicken (appx 3 or 4 lbs), skinned, trimmed of excess fat and rinsed
• 3 carrots, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, rinsed and roughly chopped (I like to use the middle ones with leaves)
• 1 large white onion (or two small), peeled and quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled

The following ingredients should be put in a spice sack or cheese cloth and tied with kitchen string:

• 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
• small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
• small handful of fresh dill
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves

You can prep these while the stock is on the stove and put, covered in the fridge:

• 2 cups small diced celery
• 2 cups small diced carrots
• 2 cups small diced white onion

Throw everything (except for the diced veggies) in a large stock pot (I use one with a strainer insert that is intended for cooking pasta) and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for a few hours (at least two, but preferably up to eight - the longer it simmers the easier it is to shred the meat). Be careful not to let it come to a boil again (that would make the stock cloudy, and you want it clear). Skim off scum and grease from the top occasionally.

Separate the goods from the juice (much easier if you have the strainer insert). Throw all the junk out except for the chicken (I give the carrots to my dog, Pokey). Let chicken cool on a plate. Return the liquid to the stove.

Chuck the remaining veggies into broth and cook on medium to medium high heat until cooked.

Make your egg noodles according to package directions while the veggies simmer (I prefer No Yolk). Your chicken should be cool enough to handle now. Shred the meat with a fork or your fingers. Get every last bit of meat. Throw the meat in the pot to warm. Place noodles in the bottom of a bowl and ladel hot soup on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste and eat the soup and then thank me.

Tips ‘n’ Tricks:

• Buying a whole chicken is the cheapest thing to do. They jack up the price whenever they have to break it down or skin it. I suggest taking the time to learn how to break down a chicken. It will save you a lot of money in the long run.
• If you have never skinned a chicken before, it’s quite simple. Use a paper towel as a grip between your hand and the skin. Rip away. Don’t bother trying to skin the wings, though. It takes less than a minute and it’s easier than leaving the skin on and having to skim off lots of fat later on.
• I bought a pack of unbleached cotton spice sacks from Whole Foods for a few dollars. They are reusable and easier than dealing with cheesecloth and string. Or you can just use kitchen string to wrap the herbs and a tea ball for the peppercorns.

Deliciousness: A+!
Health: A (if you use No Yolk noodles)
Difficulty: Easy
Special gear: Large stock pot
Affordability: Cheap. Approximitley $9.40 (organic ingredients can cost about 50% more), $1.18 per serving.
Cost breakdown:
Half sack of carrots $.50
Half bunch of celery $1.25
Whole chicken $4
No Yolk Egg Noodles $1.50
Three onions $1
Three cloves of garlic $.25
Fresh dill $.25
Fresh thyme $.25
Flat leaf parsley $.25
Bay leaves $.10
Whole black peppercorns $.05.
(Cost breakdown includes approximation of partial quanities. For example: A bunch of fresh dill cost me $2 and I used 1/8 of if for this recipe, thus the cost of the amount of dill I used is $.25)