Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

The soup that is good for the soul and good for what ails you. There are many different varieties of chicken noodle soup, maybe you grew up eating Campbell's chicken noodle or chicken noodle soup was a staple in your household. This particular variation reminds me of Campbell's Chunky chicken Noodle Soup - only better. What makes this so special? And why should you bother with this time- consuming recipe? Because it's like a hug to your insides.

It’ll ease a troubled tummy. Soothe a sore throat. Break that fever. Get you back on your feet.

And If you’re not feeling under the weather, this soup will just make you feel good.

What sets this soup apart is the roasting of the chicken and veggies BEFORE turning it into a soup. The house is filled with the beautiful aroma of a roasting chicken, followed by the simmering of soup. The roasting helps to develop a richer flavour profile, when making any stock I love to roast the bones or vegetables to deepen the flavour and colour. The extra step is worth it, because the more you create a deep flavour base, the less seasoning you’ll have to add later on. I seasoned my chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning - but you only need a generous amount of salt as we’ll be adding aromatics to the stock. You want the chicken to achieve a golden colour but it’s not super important that it is cooked all the way through as it will be simmering for at least 4 hours. I find it best to make this on the weekends, it's pretty low maintenance but you want to be around to check on it. I also like to let the soup simmer uncovered for the last hour to condense the flavour. If your Dutch oven isn’t large enough or you only have a roaster, pick a large pot as you’ll want to cover the chicken and roasted vegetables with at least 12 cups of filtered water (so that you’ll end up with 8 cups of chicken stock).

I like to use half the chicken meat for the soup and reserve the other half for meals during the week. Chicken salad, pasta salad, sandwiches, chicken fried rice, there really is a lot you can do with it. Just be sure to use the leftover roasted chicken within 3-4 days. After I pull apart the meat from the chicken I save the bones (in a small freezer bag or container) as they can be added to bone broth or future stocks. I won’t save the bones from a bone broth because it cooks so long (to allow the minerals to release from the bones) but because the cook time wasn’t as long for this chicken soup, I'll save the bones.

I like to use chickpea pasta to increase the fiber in this dish and keep it gluten-free but you could also use regular pasta, rice noodles or even soda noodles. This dish is already loaded with goodness to pick a pasta/noodle that makes you happy and don't feel obligated to pick what you think is the “healthiest pasta”. This soup should especially be guilt-free, feel-good eats.

INGEDIENTS

ingredients for roasted chicken broth

Stock:

Whole Free- Range Organic chicken - medium size

Grass- Fed Butter, softened

2 medium onions, quartered

2 stalks celery, cut into half

2 medium carrots, scrubbed and roughly chopped into large pieces

2 medium parsnips, scrubbed and roughly chopped into large pieces

2 heads garlic, cut in half

2 -4 sprigs rosemary

4 -8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 -4 sage leaves

5 Bay Leaves

1 tbsp black peppercorn

Soup:

8 cups Roasted Chicken Stock

½ roasted chicken, shredded

1 tbsp butter

4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 stalks celery

1 medium onion

2 bay leaves

1 cup peas, frozen

2 cups Chickpea Rotini - cooked

METHOD

Stock:

Preheat oven to 425F

Place Chicken in a large Dutch oven ( or deep roaster).

Rub chicken with the softened butter and generously season with salt and pepper.

Place chopped onion, celery, carrots and garlic all around the chicken.

Roast uncovered for 45 minutes

Remove from oven and transfer Dutch oven to burner - if you are using a deep roasting pot transfer contents of roaster to a large stock pot.

Add 12 - 16 cups of filtered water to cover, bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Add herbs and peppercorns to the pot and simmer (covered) for a MINIMUM of 4 hours.

The longer you simmer the more flavour that will develop, I like to let the stock cook uncovered for at least an hour to allow for the stock to reduce and the flavour to concentrate.

Carefully remove chicken from the pot and allow it to slightly cool. Strain broth and discard cooked vegetables and herbs.

Soup:

Add butter to a large pot and add the onions as the butter is melting but not fully melted.

Season generously with salt, sauté until onions become translucent.

Add carrots, continue to sauté for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the stock, bay leaves and chicken to the pot.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer - simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until the carrots have reached your desired doneness.

Add the frozen peas and cooked chickpea pasta, cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Season with salt and fresh black pepper.

roasted chicken noodle soup