Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
My Jewish Penicillin.
There is nothing better than homemade chicken soup. It is a staple of every Jewish holiday, and I usually have three bowls of it before we even get to the main course. One thing I love so much about it is that it tastes different every time I make it. Sure, that can be resolved with more exact measurements. But I find something special in the chance of it, in the waiting, and then that first spoonful of broth and hoping for the perfect taste.
I grew up making chicken soup on the stove like my mom and her mom before her. And I don’t want to say I’ll never go back to stove-top, but making broth in an Instant Pot has been a real game changer for me. The color of the broth is always richer and the flavor is just so much stronger. So yes, I’ll be sticking with my Instant Pot for a while. I know there are slow cooker versions too. But if you want to stick to the tried and true stove-top version, it is still dependable and easy.
When it comes to your choice of chicken, my mom always buys chicken breasts (bone in and skin on). I’ve taken to buying a whole roasting chicken. Just using chicken breasts will definitely give you a leaner broth, but I think I like the extra flavor that comes from the fattier part of the chicken. Note that when you store the broth overnight, the fat will rise to the top and you will want to skim and discard it before reheating.
One last soup tip that I’ve learned the hard way one too many times. If you want to add noodles (note: wide egg noodles are the best kind of noodles), and you plan to have leftovers, do not add the noodles to your broth until the broth is completely cool. Otherwise, the noodles will continue cooking and, no joke, the next day you will take out a container of super absorbed noodles and no broth. Unless I’m making this for a group, I generally cook the noodles separately, add one serving to my bowl and top with broth. Then I either wait for the broth to cool in the fridge before adding the noodles to it, or if I’m lazy and want to clean up faster then I just store the noodles separately.
Instant Pot Chicken Broth & Chicken Noodle Soup
Roughly chop half of a large yellow onion, 2-3 stalks of celery, 2-3 carrots.
Add chicken and cover with water to fill line.
Cover and seal. Hit the soup button and cook on high for 3 hours. You can either release the pressure nozzle or let it naturally release.
Remove chicken and place on a cutting board to cool.
Pour the broth through a strainer. Discard vegetables.
At this point, you can either let your broth cool and store it in the fridge or freezer, or continue on to make chicken soup.
Heat olive oil in a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Dice the rest of the onion, 2-3 stalks of celery, 2-3 medium carrots. Add to pot and saute for about 5 minutes. Add broth, season with salt and pepper, and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Shred the chicken and add it back into the soup. Save leftovers for another recipe. And save those bones for another broth!
Cook noodles separately according to package. Add noodles to a bowl and ladle broth.
Stove-top Chicken Noodle Soup
Chop a medium yellow onion, 2-3 stalks of celery, 2-3 carrots.
Place chicken in a large pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Fill pot with water so chicken is covered, about 3/4 full. Bring to a boil.
Lower heat and let simmer all day, at least 6 hours.
Remove chicken. When cool to handle, shred and add back into the soup.
Cook noodles separately according to package. Add noodles to a bowl and ladle broth.
