Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup

My mom's Chicken Soup is better then your mom's chicken soup. That sounded harsh, your mom might make a really amazing chicken soup. I'm sure she does. 

Instead of bragging, I'll let my mom tell you about her soup.  Mom - "My mother used to make home-made chicken soup and it was a favorite at our house. Because she was on a tight budget..she would get two meals out of one chicken. She would not put the chicken meat into her soup but would save it for another dish. My Dad always complained that the soup tasted like the chicken had merely walked through it. I thought her soup was tasty...but I have added to her recipe to make it more hearty."

Ingredients:

1- 4 lb + whole chicken

3 large carrots

4 cloves garlic...pealed and sliced in half

2 medium onions

8 cups chicken broth 

1 small bag of frozen corn

1 bunch  celery ( be sure to buy celery with leaves on the top because these give a lot of flavor to the soup)

1 - 8 ounce package of mushrooms...sliced

6 ounces of egg noodles 

3 Tbls cornstarch 

salt....pepper... and MSG (gasp)

Direction:

1) Empty the organs out of the chicken cavity, then rinse the chicken and place it in a large pot. Add to this the chicken broth.  If the broth doesn't cover the chicken add some water.

2) To the pot add, One pealed carrot (cut in half), 4 cloves of garlic, One onion (pealed and quartered), The top third of the bunch of celery...with the leaves included (washed).

3) Bring the water to a boil and then turn down to lower temperature and allow the soup to gently simmer (covered) for about an hour... or until the chicken is cooked. 

5) while the chicken is boiling.. peel and slice the two remaining carrots. Dice the onion. Slice about 4-5 stalks of celery. Wash and slice the mushrooms. Set these vegetables aside in a bowl.

6) When the chicken is finished cooking...take it out of the broth and let it cool. Using a slotted spoon remove the onion, garlic, carrot and celery from the broth...throw it out. 

7) When the meat is no longer hot remove it from the bones and cut it up into smaller, bite sized pieces. Put the chicken meat in a bowl and set aside fro later in the fridge. (if you allow the meat to cook too long in the broth it separates and becomes stringy.

8) Bring the soup broth to a boil again and add the uncooked vegetables...turn down the heat a little and cook until the vegetables are tender, Taste the broth and see how much salt and pepper and MSG you need. ( MSG is a flavor enhancer...I like to use it...but it is not mandatory.) Add at least a teaspoon of each...then taste again...  add any more that you think necessary. 

9) if you are using dry egg noodles... cook according to directions and add to the soup when cooked. If you are using frozen egg noodles...following the package directions, add the frozen noodles to the boiling broth and cook as long as the instructions suggest. 

10) Now you are ready to thicken the soup, this is how you do that. Take a 1/2 cup of cold water and into this stir 3 tablespoons of cornstarch until it is completely dissolved. Immediately add this cold mixture to the boiling hot soup. Stir for about 2 minutes while it thickens. Add the chicken. Cook until the meat is warmed through ...and serve.