Grandma Nagy's Chicken Noodle Soup
My dad's mother, Bernice Nagy, also known as Bertie Flo or Grandma B, lived through World War II, so she knew a thing or two about eating and living on a budget.
My dad can remember some not-so-great ways that she "budgeted" like using powdered milk, powdered eggs, and claiming that the milk hadn't gone bad when it very clearly had.
Grandma B passed away in the fall of 2019 at 97-years-old! Can you imagine being 97 years old? I definitely can't right now, ha!
I've been making her chicken noodle soup recipe on my own since college, but I've been eating it every time I got sick or it was cold out since I was a little kid.
Chicken soup is the kind of thing that just makes me happy. I'm the kind of person who eats soup all year round, but Grandma's chicken noodle soup on a cold day, or when you're not feeling too great, or even if you're feeling perfectly fine hits the spot every single time.
Why I love this recipe:
Makes a large amount of food that can be eaten as leftovers all week.
Perfect for freezing and reheating the next time you're craving soup.
You can customize it with your favorite noodles or veggies.
It's not incredibly time-consuming.
Chicken soup generally makes people happy!
Ingredients:
3 ½ lb whole chicken. (“Hen” has more flavor, “Fryer” needs extra chicken stock and less water)
6 cups of liquid (a mixture of water and chicken stock)
Salt and pepper
2 chicken bouillon cubes (you can buy low-sodium bouillon cubes if you prefer
1 cup chopped onion
1 Bay leaf
1 cup sliced celery (preferably with leaves)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 bag of egg noodles (or your favorite type of noodles for soup)
Of course, you can add sliced small red potatoes, parsley, corn, peas, and any other veggies you like in your soup.
Note: When you buy a whole chicken, remember to take the little bag of giblets out of the carcass and wash the bird. (I don’t use the giblets…don’t tell Grandma B!)
Instructions:
Wash the chicken and generously cover it with salt and pepper.
Add chicken to a large pot with 5 cups of liquid. (I like to do half broth and half water, then use the remaining broth later).
Bring to a boil and simmer (briskly) for 15 minutes.
Slice the carrots & celery into bite-sized pieces. Chop the celery leaves if you have them.
Skim the fat off the top of the chicken and broth mixture that's boiling.
Add the bouillon cubes, ½ cup onion, and the bay leaf.
Simmer for 35 to 40 minutes. (the chicken should be just about falling off of the bone.)
Skim the fat that rises to the top of the pot.
Remove the chicken to a carving board and let cool for a few minutes while you do the next step.
Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Bring to a boil.
Remove the skin & bones from the chicken. Cut the larger pieces of meat into bite-sized pieces.
Return the chicken pieces to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until the veggies are firm but not mushy. I also like to add more chicken broth to the pot to even out the vegetable to broth ratio now that everything is combined.
Remove the bay leaf and serve over cooked noodles.
So there you go! Tell me how your soup comes out and let me know how you made it your own.
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