Stewing Hen: Chicken Noodle Soup for a Minnesota Winter
Whenever I think comfort food, you know those times that you just want to curl up in bed and not have any responsibilities or for me when I was sick and just wanted my mom to make me feel better, I immediately crave chicken noodle soup. I didn’t grow up with fancy home made soup. My mother would get a can of Campbells chicken noodle from the cabinet and heat it up. To me, this soup isn’t about making it fancy, just a no nonsense, easy soup that you can eat the entire week while it is -20 degrees outside.
The secret to a good chicken noodle soup is actually old. Yes, I am talking about the chicken. The best broth is made with a Stewing Hen. The typical chicken you buy in the grocery store is about 7-8 weeks old when butchered and sold. This makes the chicken nice and tender, however you sacrifice some flavor. As the chicken ages, they develop more fat and the best flavor. This means the meat is not as tender and must be slow cooked, perfect for a soup!
Stewing hens are hard to find! Your best bet is to ask a local farmer, especially one that sells eggs. Remember a stewing hen will be much smaller than your traditional chicken in the store. Our stewing hens are available seasonally (fall and spring). However, they are only available for pickup on farm or in our delivery area.
First step is to start your broth. Today I am using the instant pot as I want to get this soup cooked fast. Traditionally, I cook in the crock pot or slow simmer on the stove in a dutch oven. First, I break up my chicken into a few chunks. I cut off the quarters (leg and thigh) and then separate the breast cage from the backbone. Now I have 4 parts: breasts, backbone, and 2 quarters. This is the time you get to see that bright yellow fat that only comes from a pasture raised stewing hen.
Next up is your veggies and herbs. A traditional stock includes onion, carrot, celery, leek, garlic, bay leaf, parsley, and thyme. Some add salt, pepper, clove, and other spices. Since you are making this stock just for the soup, you can add or remove anything. I do recommend sticking with the basic onion, celery, and carrot. I chose to add garlic, bay leaf, parsley, salt, and pepper. Careful not to add too much salt and pepper! You can always add more later. I wash the veggies and fresh herbs and then cut into large chunks. Don’t forget to smash your garlic to release the garlic flavor. Finally, throw them in the pot and cover with water. Three quarts should be about right if you are using the instant pot, you may need to add less to make sure you don’t over fill. If cooking over the stove, you may need to add more since some will evaporate.
Now is the fun part. You can cook low and slow for 6-8 hours or use the instant pot which should take about 45-60 minutes. Now you get to smell the broth all day and anticipate the warm, comforting soup at the end of evening chores. When the broth is done, the veggies will be very soft. With a stewing hen, the meat should still stay on the bone. This is another great aspect of the stewing hen. The chicken will still have some texture after cooking for a long time.
I separate the chicken pieces into one bowl, the veggies into the compost bin, and strain the broth with a fine strainer or cheesecloth. Your broth should smell wonderful and have a pleasing golden hue. My batch made about 2 1/2 quarts of broth and the fat is already separating to the top. We still have to wait and let the broth cool down and then set in the refrigerator or freezer to chill. It is currently about 5 degrees outside so I will cover and set this on the deck to cool down fast. This will help solidify the fat so you can skim it off the top. Don’t throw it away! We store this fat in the fridge for a bit and use it in place of oil or butter when cooking. This fat can stay good for up to 6 months though it never seems to last that long in our house.
Now that the broth is done, we can finally start making the soup! My go to for most one pot dishes is my dutch oven. This is a beast of a pot and holds the heat very nicely so I can keep something simmering on the stove so we can come back for second helpings or run out to the barn and come back to dinner.
First up is the veggies. I love adding lots of carrots, celery, and a little onion. If my dad comes to visit, I scale down the carrots as he thinks there are too many carrots in soups. Remember that chicken fat? Add a couple of tablespoons to the pot and sauté the veggies over medium heat until slightly soft.
Second, add the seasonings and thickener. For this batch, I chose paprika, thyme, turmeric, and 1/4 cup of flour to help thicken the soup. If you prefer a thicker or thinner soup, feel free to add/reduce the flour. For a full broth based soup, remove the flour completely. Cook this until you start to smell those seasonings, about 2 minutes.
Add in your broth and the noodles. Always cook the noodles in the soup. This will really help infuse the noodles with the flavors of the broth that you spent time working on. Also, you can really control how much the noodles cook and turn off the heat right before fully cooked. The residual heat will finish the noodles without overcooking them.
Meanwhile, grab the chicken that you set aside and get to shredding. Pull apart the chicken into bite sized pieces and discard the bones and skin. Once the noodles are nearly done, add in the chicken and some milk. Yes, I like some milk in my chicken noodle soup. Not enough to make it cream base, just enough to give it a little richer taste.
The soup is ready! It goes great with some fresh bread or on a busy night, some quick biscuits. We keep this soup ready to go in the fridge. If you want to save it longer, don’t add the milk or noodles. Those are best added when you are ready to eat.
Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Soup Ingredients
shredded chicken
chicken broth
2-3 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 c. flour
salt & pepper to taste
8 ounces dried egg noodles
1 c. whole milk
Broth Ingredients
2-3 lb stewing hen
1 carrots
1 celery stalks
1 onion, quartered
1 bunch parsley
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
2 quarts water
salt & pepper
Broth
Cut stewing hen into 4 pieces: 2 quarters, breast, and backbone
Place chicken, veggies, and all seasonings in pot and top with water
Bring to a simmer and cook for 6-8 hours until chicken is tender and broth is flavorful.
When done, remove chicken to set aside.
Strain liquid from veggies using a fine sieve or cheesecloth
Chill broth and skim off fat from the top.
Soup
Sauté the carrots, celery, and onion on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pull apart chicken from bones, cartilage, and fat. Cut or shred into bite sized pieces.
Add flour, paprika, thyme, and turmeric and cook until aromatic. Make sure to keep stirring to keep seasonings from burning.
Add in chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Stir in egg noodles and cook until al dente.
Add in the shredded chicken, salt & pepper to taste, and whole milk
Cook until heated through and adjust seasonings to taste
Enjoy immediately or store in refrigerator.