Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

If you've only had soup from a can, then you have no idea just how wonderful, comforting, and delicious a homemade soup really is. It is a taste explosion in your mouth! Make this soup one time, and you can never go back to canned soup again!


Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup --------------------------------------

Yield: About 2 quarts

Ingredients:
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1 whole chicken
*(you can use 5 chicken thighs or 3 chicken breasts (or mix) in lieu of whole bird)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
5 slices bacon
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 to 3 quarts chicken stock
1/2 pound linguine, broke into 2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt to taste

Sachet:
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dry)
6 parsley stems
2 sprigs oregano (or 1 teaspoon dry)
8 peppercorns
(To make Sachet, place ingredients in cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine. The purpose of the sachet is to add all the flavor of the herbs, without having them floating around in the soup).

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1. Rinse chicken, place in pot. Cover chicken with COLD water, add the kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer chicken until done, about an hour for whole bird, 45 minutes for parts. When chicken is done, remove from pot and place on plate or platter to cool. If you need the stock water, strain through a mesh strainer into bowl (see number 2), otherwise you can discard it. Separate chicken from bone, discard skin and bones.

2. If you do not have any chicken stock made, reserve the stock that you just cooked the chicken in. It will not be a strong stock, and you may need to add chicken bouillon to it. If you do it this way, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon. You will need about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts.

3. While chicken is cooking, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in skillet until crisp. Using slotted spoon, remove bacon from skillet onto paper towel, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet. You will not need the bacon again, so you can save it for use in a salad if you like.

4. In same skillet, add diced onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Saute in bacon fat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and saute for about 30 more seconds until fragrant. Transfer to pot.

5. Add chicken stock, chicken, and sachet, simmer for 20 minutes. Add linguine and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until pasta is done.

6. Remove sachet, discard. Add fresh parsley. Salt (if needed) to taste.