This classic rendition of chicken soup starts the old-fashioned way, by making a from-scratch broth. But instead of using a whole chicken we turned to meaty chicken thighs, which kept things easier; they also added intense, meaty flavor to the broth.
To cut down on greasiness, we removed the skin after browning and before letting the thighs simmer along with the chopped and sauteed onion and bay leaves. Since most people prefer white meat in their chicken soup, we simply poached two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the simmering broth, removing them when tender to add to the soup at the end.
Note that the thighs are used to flavor the broth, but once the broth is strained, the meat can be shredded and used for chicken salad or a pot pie.
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Servings: 8-10. Start to finish: 1 hour.
For the Broth:
4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
12 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
For the Soup:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
6 ounces wide egg noodles
¼ cup minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
For the broth: Pat thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Cook half of thighs skin side down until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Turn thighs and lightly brown second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer to strainer set in large bowl. Repeat with remaining thighs and transfer to strainer; discard fat in bowl. Pour off fat from pot, add onion, and cook over medium heat until just softened, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, remove and discard skin from thighs. Add thighs, water, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt to pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken breasts and continue simmering until broth is rich and flavorful, about 15 minutes.