Joan's Chicken Soup

Original recipe by: Leslie Brenner

This the chicken soup I grew up with — the one my mom made anytime anyone sneezed. It's a very easygoing soup, so feel free to play with it. If you have extra chicken pieces in the freezer (especially backs and necks), throw them in and increase the water accordingly; don't worry about exact amounts. My mom never measured any of it. She never put garlic in hers, but I often do, especially if someone has something sniffly – in that case, I use a whole head. (You might want to use less.) Sometimes I add a leek, or a handful of parsley. As for noodles, my mom always used fine egg noodles, never the wide ones. Usually I follow suit, but now and then I want the fat ones.

Makes 6-ish servings.

Ingredients

• A 4- to 5-pound chicken, including the back and neck, cut into pieces

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 4 to 5 stalks celery (7-8 ounces), cut into 2-inch lengths

• 3 large or 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut …