Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Whole Chicken
• 3 qt. low-sodium chicken broth
• 6 carrots
• 4 stalk celery
• 3 medium onions
• 5 black peppercorns
• 1 clove garlic
• 10 sprig parsley
• 2 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 leeks
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fresh-ground pepper
• 3 c. medium egg noodles

Directions

1. Make the stock: Place the chicken and chicken broth in a large stockpot and set it over medium heat. Roughly chop 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, and 1 onion and add to the broth. Add the peppercorns, garlic, 2 sprigs of parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the chicken is very tender -- about 1 1/4 hours -- skimming the surface periodically. Remove the chicken and place in a large bowl. Strain the broth through a very fine sieve into a large, clean bowl or stockpot. Discard the vegetables.
2. Make the soup: Skim any fat off the top of the strained broth and discard. Slice the remaining carrots, celery, onions, and leeks into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and set aside. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken, cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside. Chop the remaining parsley leaves and set aside. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook until the onions are translucent -- about 7 minutes. Add the chicken, the reserved broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender -- about 1 hour. Stir in the egg noodles and parsley and cook until the noodles are tender -- about 10 more minutes. Serve hot.
3. Source: countryliving.com