Here chicky chicky. Kindly get in this pot and make soup.

We have had some cold, dreary weather here in the dessert. It is so welcomed! It washes away all the sandy grit that has an annoying tendency to coat everything. It makes everything so GREEN (a rarity in the desert in Summer...) and it makes me want soup. Some savory and spicy chicken noodle soup. Warms you up and clears your head on cold dreary days. And the best part? It is SO easy. But prep does take all day, or at least overnight.

Spicy Chicky Schnoodle Soup

Ingredients

Broth

1 whole chicken
6 cups of water
2 cups chicken stock
1 onion quartered
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
small bunch of fresh parsley (5-6 sprigs)
5 cloves garlic, smacked (translation: one hit with the mallet is fine. Don't pulverize them.)
1 T peppercorns

Soup

1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 jalapeno pepper, diced finely
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Al dente ditali noodles (optional)

Rinse chicken and place in large stock pot. Cover with water and broth. Add quartered onion, roughly chopped celery, 5-6 sprigs parsley, 5 smashed garlic cloves and 1 tablespoon peppercorns. Bring to boil, and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes. Liquid will reduce. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from pot and reserve in the refrigerator. Strain solids from broth through a fine mesh sieve. Refrigerate broth till fat solidifies on the top. (WARNING! Do not attempt to freeze to speed up the process. It is ineffective.)

Note: I usually either boil the chicken in the morning and make the soup at dinner. Or I roast the chicken for dinner, and boil down the carcass (Mmm, yummy!) that night for soup tomorrow. It is really about whatever works for your schedule.

Fast forward - broth chilled. You will see a layer of fat has solidified on the top. Remove carefully. You are not removing flavor, just most of the fat.

In large stock pot, could be the same one - I don't know your methods, melt butter, and saute diced onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Add reserved broth, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes and parsley. Then add as much of the chicken (shred or dice first) you would like. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, then taste. Salt and pepper to your liking. Serve with ditali and top with Pecorino Romano cheese, if you like.

Ok, it may seeeeem a lil more complex then easy, but really it's not. And the taste, mmm, is well worth it.