The Best Chicken Noodle Soup

Instructions

1. Place the whole chicken (no giblets please, but the neck is fine) with all the other ingredients in a large pot on the stove and add water to cover completely. Heat to a boil and cook for about 60 minutes, skimming off any foam as it rises, or until the meat is fully cooked.
2. Remove the chicken (careful – it’s hot!) and transfer to a cutting board. Remove the large parts of meat – the breasts, legs, thighs, but don’t worry if you don’t get it all.
3. Next, use a cleaver or chef’s knife to break up the remaining chicken carcass. You want the inside of the bones to be exposed, so give even those drumsticks a few good whacks. Place the carcass and the water and vegetables from the pot in a slow cooker and cook on low for 24 hours. (If you have a pressure cooker you can cook it on high pressure for 4 hours).
4. In the meantime, either shred the chicken or cut it into cubes, and set aside until ready to use. (Refrigerate it once it has cooled sufficiently.)
5. When the broth is ready, strain it and let it cool a bit so that you can skim off some of the fat. (Or, if you like chicken fat leave it in, it just makes for a heartier soup).
6. Make the pici pasta. Place the flour onto a board with a well in the center, then add water slowly as you mix until the dough comes together. You want a soft but not sticky mixture. Knead the dough until smooth. If the dough becomes hard, cover it and let it rest for 10 minutes until it “loosens” up.
7. Set the dough aside for 20 minutes, then roll into a large disc about 1/2 inch thick. Cut the disc into narrow strips. Roll each piece by hand into a snake about 1/2 cm in diameter and 30-60 cm long. Keep rolling until all the noodles have been formed.
8. Next, in a large soup pot or dutch oven heat 1 T olive oil (or 1 T of the chicken fat if you kept it). Cook the celery and carrots on medium heat for about 6 minutes, until softened but not browned. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, simmering until the vegetables are tender (about 5 more minutes). Season for salt.
9. Add the pici pasta and cook until the noodles float, then add the chicken and cook to heat. (You can add as much or as little chicken as you like – and save the rest for another recipe).
10. Serve and enjoy!
11. Cook’s note: you should have more broth than you need. Just cool any remaining broth in the fridge or freeze it until you need it.