For this, I just dump all my chicken pieces in a large stock pot, add diced celery and onion, and some Italian seasoning. Fill the rest of the pot with water to about an inch below the rim, bring to a boil, lower your heat to a simmer and cover. I usually let this cook for 6 hours or more.
Then it's time to drain the stock from the pieces. I do this in a large bowl, placed in my sink, with a colander over it. The pieces and bits get put in another bowl in the fridge and fed to the cats and dog over the course of the next week. Despite the bones being cooked down, I pick them out so that the dog doesn't get them. They love this little extra treat in their food.
My next step is to put the stock in the fridge for a night. This saves on the skimming step, because once the stock has cooled, the fat will condense on the top as a film, and can be removed easily. Then it's time to put the stock back in a large pot and add our ingredients.
This is really where personal taste comes in. I dice up another couple stalks of celery, about 1/2 of a medium onion, and 3-4 good sized carrots. Bring this back to a boil, lower your heat and cover, and let simmer until carrots are tender (approximately 30-45mins). Then add your diced chicken, and your wide egg noodles. At this time, it only needs to simmer for about 15 mins, or until your noodles are cooked. I usually add 3/4 to 1 whole bag of egg noodles, but I prefer a "fuller" soup. You may choose to add less. A note on the chicken: we eat a lot of chicken. What doesn't get finished at dinners is taken off the bone and stored in the freezer for recipes like this. If you do not have cooked chicken meat on hand, you can also use canned chicken meat. It must be precooked meat if you do it with the directions I provide here. I prefer to do it this way, because when doing it with the initial stock cooking, it tends to break the meat down too much.
I like to serve this with a dropped biscuit recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook (1986 edition). Perfect for a dreary winter day.
Dropped Biscuits
1/2 cup shortening (I use butter)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbspn sugar
3 tspns baking powder
1 tspn salt
1 cup of milk
Mix ingredients with a spoon until fully blended. Grease a baking pan, drop spoonfuls into pan, and bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 mins, until lightly browned. Much like bread recipes, tapping on the biscuits for a hollow sound will also help you make sure they are done.
I like to serve this with a dropped biscuit recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook (1986 edition). Perfect for a dreary winter day.
Dropped Biscuits
1/2 cup shortening (I use butter)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbspn sugar
3 tspns baking powder
1 tspn salt
1 cup of milk
Mix ingredients with a spoon until fully blended. Grease a baking pan, drop spoonfuls into pan, and bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 mins, until lightly browned. Much like bread recipes, tapping on the biscuits for a hollow sound will also help you make sure they are done.