Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is another old family recipe. Even just the smell of homemade chicken noodle soup cooking takes me back home. My mum always used to make it and even now whenever I get a winter cold or am feeling low, it’s the first thing I crave. It’s really cheap and easy to do and by using the left over chicken carcass from your Sunday roast, it is a perfect lunchtime meal especially if you are starting to use a weekly meal planner to reduce food waste.

Ingredients needed for chicken noodle soup

A chicken carcass left over from a roast dinner
1 Onion
2-3 celery sticks
2 carrots
A handful of mushrooms
Other vegetables of choice
1 teaspoon of mixed herbs or parsley
1 teaspoon garlic granules
Salt and pepper to season
Handful of dry noodles

The choice of vegetables and herbs can be versatile for whatever you have to hand. I always go with onions, parsley, garlic and celery.

How to make chicken noodle soup – method

1. Put the chicken carcass in a large saucepan with chopped onion, and vegetables (you can add as many vegetables as you want).
2. Add a little salt and pepper, herbs and garlic granules.
3. Fill the pan with water.
4. Cover and simmer on the hob for about 3/4 hour, but keep checking the water level every 20 mins and top up if necessary.
5. Allow to cool a little then remove the carcass and any loose bones. You will find any additional chicken meat will easily come off the bones.
6. Add a handful of dry noodles and simmer for a further 5 mins.
(I use a supermarket’s own noodle pack, but mum uses vermicelli,As you can see from this photo you can even add a bit of pasta instead if you run out of noodles.)

And that’s all there is to it. It’s so quick and easy to make and can be kept in the fridge and reheated the next day or two if required.