Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Chicken Stock

I love to make homemade stock. It is really, really easy and allows you to control the amount of salt. If you make a roast chicken (or steal the turkey carcass at Thanksgiving), you can make chicken stock. I don't bother to pick all the meat off the bones - it will fall off during the cooking process and you can pick it out later.

To make the stock, in a large pot, add the chicken carcass, one quartered onion, 4 roughly chopped carrots, the tops of one bunch of celery (the leaves have a lot of flavor), 3 or 4 whole cloves of garlic, 1 Tbsp. of chopped parsley, and 8-10 peppercorns. Fill the pot with cold water until everything is covered. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-4 hours. Be sure that the water does not go below the top of the carcass/veggies. If it does, add some hot water to the pot (not from the tap - either heat in the microwave or use a kettle).

When the stock is finished cooking, strain out the vegetables, meat, and carcass. Throw out the veggies and bones, but pick through it first to find any pieces of meat and set them aside.

If you don't plan to use the stock now, allow it to cool and then refrigerate it. It will keep for a few days. When you take it out of the fridge, skim any fat off the top and throw it away. At this point, you can freeze the stock for several months.

I usually save half the stock and use the other half to make chicken soup!

After you strain the stock, put it into a clean pot and bring back to a boil. Add 3 or 4 chopped carrots, 1 or 2 chopped stalks of celery, and 1/2 a diced onion, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add any reserved chicken and 8 oz of dried noodles. Cook until the noodles are al dente (usually about 8-10 minutes more). Season with salt and pepper to taste.