Chicken noodle soup

[koukouvagia]

We've had thousands of threads on how to make good chicken stock.  Let's assume I'm starting with the best chicken stock one can make.

How do you go on to make your chicken noodle soup.  Add veggies?  Noodles?  Egg noodles?  What else goes into your favorite chicken noodle soup?  I'm making some today and may want to experiment a bit.

 

[phatch]

I saute a mirepoix separately with some thyme and a bit of sage Then add to the pot to simmer for 20-30 minutes. I cook noodles separately, usually a broad egg noodle. I don't like the starch clouding up my stock. Keep your noodles separate from the soup until service, especially for leftovers as the noodles will keep on sucking up stock if stored together.

 

[boar_d_laze]

Funny you should ask.  No practical advice just now, but maybe some inspiration.  For lunch today:  Chicken soup with fish and two kinds of noodles (wheat and thin rice - like for pho), accompanied by little plates of pork kidneys, teu chow wonton, and fish balls with chili/dried-shrimp sate for dipping.

The point being, you can drag chicken noodle soup in nearly any direction and just about as far as you can imagine.

When I think of the many really good home cooks of my virtual acquaintance, Koukouvagia, yours is one of the first names to come to mind. 

Don't settle,

BDL

 

[koukouvagia]

Funny you should ask.  No practical advice just now, but maybe some inspiration.  For lunch today:  Chicken soup with fish and two kinds of noodles (wheat and thin rice - like for pho), accompanied by little plates of pork kidneys, teu chow wonton, and fish balls with chili/dried-shrimp sate for dipping.

The point being, you can drag chicken noodle soup in nearly any direction and just about as far as you can imagine.

When I think of the many really good home cooks of my virtual acquaintance, Koukouvagia, yours is one of the first names to come to mind. 

Don't settle,

BDL

Smiles and hugs!
 

 

[chrislehrer]

I sweat mirepoix, leaving the carrots in slices instead of minced, in chicken fat or olive oil. Add the meat shredded off the chicken, toss briefly, and pour in the stock. Bring to a strong simmer, correct seasoning. Add a pile of those loose dry egg noodles that come in bags, cook until still quite firm, then shut off the heat and sprinkle with fresh dill. Wait 5 minutes, then serve. I generally grind a bunch of pepper on the top of my own bowl, but my kids have fits if I use more than a teeny dash while cooking, so I don't and they adore it.

Instead of the noodles, use fully-cooked matzoh balls and you've got matzoh ball soup. My kids REALLY love that: when my son was 2, he ate a gigantic matzoh ball at the 2d Avenue Deli, must have been about half the size of his head, and then asked very politely if he could have another one. They gave him a handful of rugelach instead, which he thought an excellent trade.

 

[gonefishin]

    Tis the season for soup!  We almost made chili at home today, but I was watching One Plate at a Time and we decided on Mexican (go figure).  The chili will have to wait /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif

   For regular chicken noodle soup, I seat the mirepoix, then add seasonings (I usually add thyme, salt and pepper).   Add your chicken stock, couple of bay leaves and simmer.  If I have a good chicken stock I'll reserve my  precooked (usually roasted) chicken for the last 45 minutes of cooking.  The soup will have enough chicken flavor because of the chicken stock and I don't see a point in simmering the flavor out of more chicken.   I like to add fresh parsley at the end and adjust salt levels.  

   For noodles I like to make a homemade egg noodles.  They're fast and easy.  For chicken noodle soup I don't even get the pasta machine out, I just roll it out with a rolling pin until it's about 3/16" then I just cut rustic noddles with my pizza cutter (hey, I'm lazy)

   Most times that's it.  Nothing fancy.  Other times I try to get ethnic...I love pho!

  dan

 

[koukouvagia]

Question:  Are egg noodles different than regular pasta?  What's the difference??

 

[kyheirloomer]

I prefer adding pre-cooked chicken towards the end.

In additional to the usual onions, carrots and celery I often add some grilled corn kernels for additional flavor.

Noodles, too, get cooked separately, then added just to warm through.

 

[gonefishin]

Question:  Are egg noodles different than regular pasta?  What's the difference??

     I use the same recipe as I do for pasta, except I don't work the dough nearly as much...or as thin.  After I cook the chicken noodle noodles, I strain them and add them to a separate bowl that I filled with a little bit of warmed broth.  Then just add however many noodles you would like to the bowl...and the noodles are kept separate.

 

[gobblygook]

BDL, who did you tick off?  kidneys and balls -- someone hates you /img/vbsmilies/smilies//smile.gif
 

Funny you should ask.  No practical advice just now, but maybe some inspiration.  For lunch today:  Chicken soup with fish and two kinds of noodles (wheat and thin rice - like for pho), accompanied by little plates of pork kidneys, teu chow wonton, and fish balls with chili/dried-shrimp sate for dipping.

 

[koukouvagia]

Usually I just make chicken broth with noodles in it and then we added some shredded chicken to the soup.  More often than not I'll turn it into an avgolemono but not this time.  This time I did as Chris Lehrer suggested and sweated the mirepoix until soft, added shredded chicken, and poured in the stock.  Then I added noodles and sprinkled in some celery leaves as I did not have any other fresh herbs.

I did do something different to the stock though and that was to add a tbsp of tomato paste.  It didn't make it too tomatoey, just gave it a deeper richer color and flavor.  I will definitely do that again.

 

[boar_d_laze]

Sounds comfortingly, delicious. 

Next time you're combining sweated aromatics with tomato paste, try browning the paste in the same pan after the aromatics are done. (It's called a pincage in French.)  You'll not only get better tasting aromatics and a better tasting paste, you'll also develop a little tomato fond in the pan. 

Then use some of your stock to deglaze the pan to make sure you get all the good stuff into your soup. 

BTW, the chicken/fish soup at Mien Nghia was great, not to mention all the great sides.

BDL

 

[koukouvagia]

Actually BDL I had put the tomato paste into the chicken stock directly, not the soup.  I usually toast my paste as you suggest when I make stews and sauces but this time I don't know what came over me.  It was insight... good or bad I don't know.

DH likes a lot of noodles.  So many in fact that by the time the soup cools down it's no longer soup, it's wet noodles.  He loves that slop, meanwhile I try to hurry up and enjoy some broth while it lasts.