Homemade Dill Chicken Noodle Soup
This classic homemade Dill Chicken Noodle Soup is the real deal! Homemade chicken broth with tender pieces of chicken, thick egg noodles, veggies, and fresh dill.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, broken down into pieces*
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 2 medium yellow onions
- 5 carrots, roughly chopped
- 5 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups peas (fresh or frozen), optional
- 8 oz old-fashioned egg noodles
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- white pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Season the pieces of chicken liberally with salt and pepper all over and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, quarter one of the onions (no need to peel), and dice the other.
- Place the chicken, quartered onion, two of the chopped carrots, 3 of the chopped celery stalks, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 2-3 sprigs of dill in an 8 qt stock pot. Add 16 cups of cold water to the pot and transfer it to the stove. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, using a spoon to skim away any foam and scum. Once the stock is simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- After 35 minutes of simmering, remove the breasts from the pot and transfer them to a plate. Once they're cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and then shred the meat. Place the shredded meat into a bowl, cover, and then return the bones back to the stock.
- After 1 hour of simmering, remove the legs and wings from the stock and transfer them to a plate. Once they're cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin, pull the meat from the bone, and shred it into pieces. Place the shredded meat into the bowl with the breast meat, cover, and then return the bones back to the stock.
- Simmer the chicken stock for another 90 minutes on medium-low heat. Turn off the heat and let the broth cool slightly. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof container. You should have about 8 cups of chicken stock.
- Melt the butter in a 4 qt dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and remaining carrots and celery. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are starting to soften. Add 6-8 cups of the chicken stock and the shredded chicken to the pot. If you plan to cook the noodles in the soup, add 8 cups, if you want to cook the noodles separately, add 6 cups. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, and white pepper. If you're cooking the noodles in the soup, add them now and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Add 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill and the peas, if using, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately.
Notes
*You can have your butcher or meat counter attendant break the whole chicken into breasts, legs, wings, and backbone. See tips in the blog post for doing it yourself or alternative purchasing options.
**See above blog post for storage and freezer tips.