This recipe isn’t simple in its construction, but rather in the clean, uncomplicated flavours of the free range chicken and vegetables. Mind you, it’s not that hard to make either!
I cook my chicken following a technique from Terry Durack’s Yum and use the resultant stock and meat as a base for both this recipe, and for traditional Hainanese chicken rice.
Chicken and Stock:
- 1 free range chicken (mine was about 1.7kg)
- 2 slices ginger
- 2 spring onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
Soup:
- 2 large carrots or 6 baby carrots
- 225g egg noodles
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4 spring onions, white part finely sliced, green part coarsely chopped
- handful fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to season
1. Place the chicken, breast up, in a stock pot “just large enough to hold it snugly”, as per Mr Durack instructions. Add enough cold water to just cover the bird.
2. Add the ginger, spring onions and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes, then turn the chicken over and cook for a further five minutes. Now cover the pot, turn off the heat, and allow the chicken to continue steeping for 40 minutes. Check the chicken by inserting a skewer through the thickest part of the thigh – if the juices run clear without any hint of pink, then the chicken is cooked.
3. Remove the chicken from the stock and allow it to rest on a plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. We don’t use all the meat in the soup, and will usually keep some of the breast or thigh meat back for school lunches the following day.
4. Using a slotted spoon, strain the ginger and spring onions out of the stock and discard. Add the peeled and chopped carrots, onions and spring onions and bring the soup to a boil, before adding the egg noodles and shredded chicken meat to the pot. Taste the stock, and season with salt and pepper if desired. Once the noodles are cooked, serve generous bowlfuls with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
This is a totally new method of cooking chicken to me! Are the timings specific to that weight of chicken only? What would one do if the chicken happened not to be cooked after the elapsed time? Sounds like you would get a beautiful clear fresh stock without that boiled chicken fat taste that you get sometimes, that I associate with chicken soup. I must try this!
Jo, the original instructions were for a 1.5kg chook, but it works fine for my slightly larger ones. I’ve never had a chicken not quite cooked, but I guess if it was you could leave it in the hot stock for a bit longer?
That is how I cook chicken when I’m going to use the meat for another dish. I usually cook more bones and skins that I’ve saved up for the broth and cook it much longer to get all of the flavor out and then cool over night to separate the fat off the top.
I think my way comes from my Eastern European ethnic background. Then I add very fine noodles and a handful of chopped parsley on top.
Your way sounds quicker, easier and light.
I”ll give it a try.
Heidi, the soup recipe was actually inspired by another from the same cookbook – a recipe for Hungarian chicken noodle soup, made with chicken giblets. I kind of merged the two recipes together.. :)
You’re talking my soupy language, Celia.
Lovely, Celia and a very interesting way to cook the chicken. I like using my slow cooker as it appeals to my lazy side (much like your steeping method would). It all gets tossed in and then set on low for several hours. To spoil my German Dad, my mum makes a delicious chicken soup with ‘butter dumplings’ instead of noodles (flour, butter, egg and milk). This is the comfort food of my childhood! :)
Funny, I thought all chickens were fairly simple. Or am I thinking of sheep?
Celia, I have had chicken cooked in this way before and it is a real winner! It results in such moist, tender meat and is dead simple. I had forgotten about this method (like so many other things, sigh – brain drain) but it is wonderful!
There is something comforting about chicken soup that no other soup comes near to matching.
I like this method of cooking chicken Celia, especially if the cooked chicken then goes on to make other dishes, the meat is really tender & takes in the taste of its stock beautifully. This recipe looks so lovely & clean, one of those stylish little chicken soups!
Love the new pics (just noticed them) of ‘your girls’ Rosemary does look quite inquisitive about being a star doesn’t she – like she’s posing!
This is the bestest way of cooking chicken. It always stays nice and moist. I love a good chicken soup, real family comfort food. Who needs a tin?
Thanks Chef! It makes a really wonderful base for Hainanese Chicken Rice as well – my all time favourite dish as I was growing up.
Cue : Pleeease Hainanese Chicken Rice next pleassse, anybody else want to know how to make Celia’s favourite childhood dish. It would please her Mama I am sure, who is now reading this blog.
To Celia’s Mum, we love your daughter, she makes our lives brighter every day, you raised a great human being there!
You are a sweetheart, thank you Jo. :) Please don’t encourage my mum to read my blog though, or I’ll get in trouble..hahaha
Grilly, that’s souper! :)
Chris, my wonderful neighbour June makes Hungarian nockerl – little noodley dumplings, which then go into her soups and stews. Were yours something like that?
J Cosmo, must be sheep, because chickens are pretty smart! Or so we’ve found! Or perhaps we’re just doting pet-owners..hahaha
Amanda, thank you!
Lee, you’re so right! And for some reason, chicken noodle soup like this makes me want to play cards – 500 to be precise. I’ve never quite known why that is.. :)
Anna, thank you! We’re been referring to the first Rosemary pic as her “death stare”! :)
I don’t have a chicken to make chicken noodle soup with right now, but its Thanksgiving this weekend here in Canada, so I’ll have lots of left over turkey. I haven’t had turkey soup in quite some time. This has inspired me to make some soup with my left over turkey. And believe me I’ll have lots – just the hubby and I and a big bird. :)
I’m always a bit wary of cooking a whole chook and tend to get pieces – it scares me off for some reason. However it’s much cheaper to get a whole one and this cooking method really does sound very approachable. Thanks Celia I think I’ll give this a go.
Looks delicious..often use this method for chicken and also a different type of stock for fish fillets..less time of course, but a great method of cooking.However I’m so use to using a shorter type of pasta for my soups….I’d confuse hubby too much whether to use a fork or a spoon!!!xx
Brilliant way to cook a chicken – so moist and tender! I have never tried it quite like your method, I usually simmer the bird until cooked. Looking forward to giving this a whirl!
:-) Mandy
Now Celia, this is what I call perfect comfort food if you are ailing or even if you are not. The chicken and noodles and broth sound gorgeous and I’m loving the nod to Hainanese chicken rice with the ginger and spring onions which is one of my favourite dishes ever.
Cat, turkey noodle soup sounds delish! :)
Sarah, it’s a nice way to cook a chook – produces a surprisingly flavoured stock. I rarely buy pieces now – I often find a whole chicken keeps better..
Yvette, that’s the difference between Italian and Chinese soup dishes, I guess! :) When we make minestrone, we always use short pasta too!
Mandy, thank you! :)
Lorraine, Joanna, I’ll post up my version of chicken rice when I next make it.. :)
Celia I tried this method of cooking chicken and the chicken soup! What a find ! A big favourite with the whole family. Do you recommend leaving the stock to stand and cool so you can scoop off the fat?
Alana is leaving home [again] and I have armed her with your website to aid her in the kitchen!
Jules, so glad it went down well with the tribe! You could defat the stock, but I don’t, although I remove all the excess fat from the chicken before cooking. I don’t usually plan that far in advance to have time to let the stock stand.. :)
Good luck to Alana with the move! You could be empty-nesters soon.. :)
[…] the definitive version of this recipe please visit Celia’s blog. She’s made a lovely .pdf file for it too. I’ve got another wonderful soup recipe to […]
[…] did, the chicken turned out dry and stringy. So when Celia over at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial posted her recipe for it last October, I knew I had to give it a go. And I am so glad I did! With her method, the chicken […]