Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 3 litres (12 cups) water
• 1 kg (2 lb) skinless chicken thighs (3 or 4 thighs, depending on their size)
• Variation: You have some leftover cooked chicken in the fridge? Use 3 litres (12 cups) of commercial chicken broth and start the recipe at step 5.
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 125 ml (½ cup) small noodles
• 7.5 ml (1½ tsp) salt (adjust to taste)
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp) pepper (adjust to taste)

Preparation

1. In a large pot over high heat, bring the water, chicken thighs and garlic to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1½ hours. Tip: During the first half hour of cooking, every now and then, skim the foam off the surface with a large spoon.
3. Remove the chicken thighs from the broth and let them cool on a large plate.
4. Place the colander over a large bowl to filter the broth. Tip: For a clearer broth, line the colander with paper towel. 5. Return the filtered broth to the pot and add the carrots, celery and onion. Continue to cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, remove the bones with your fingers and keep only the chicken meat. Using your fingers, separate the meat into small pieces.  
6. Add the chicken meat to the soup along with the noodles, salt and pepper.
7. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.