Turkey Noodle Soup (aka Ambrosia)

What is the one food that you crave when you are feeling even the slightest bit icky? For me it is Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. I remember fondly, my mom putting the big canning pot on the stove with 1-2 chickens and stewing it all day, then later in the afternoon, we would all gather in the kitchen as she rolled out the homemade noodles and we formed the assembly line to get them into the soup. Nothing has ever come close to those chewy, hearty noodles (except when I made them myself) and I didn't think I would ever have that feeling of comfort again, since I am now gluten-free. I've tried a bunch of the gluten-free noodles out there, but none of them have the 'right' flavor to make me crave spaghetti or any other previously loved noodle dish and while I had thought of one day figuring out the homemade noodle again, I didn't think I would do it so soon.


On Monday, my husband (The Redneck) smoked a 19 lb turkey for me. It was his payment for having lost the bet that he would be able to keep up the speak on 'Talk like a Pirate Day' last week. We enjoyed the turkey and as I was putting it away that night, I decided to just throw the bones in my stock pot in my fridge, instead of in the freezer as I normally would. So yesterday was Soup Day. I always put the chicken/turkey on the stove early in the morning, to get a nice flavorful broth, it cooks all day infusing the house with the aroma of wellness and poultry goodness. Mid-afternoon I pull out all of the meat and bones and start adding the vegetables and making the noodles. 


My oldest daughter agrees that nothing beats homemade noodles, so it was with great trepidation that I substituted the gluten-free ones. Would they pass muster, only be 'okay' if there isn't any other choice, or flop completely miserably? The moment of truth arrives, I dish up the soup for us and we take the first bite. SUCCESS! I have delicious chewy noodles that are a wonderful complement to the hours of flavor building, so I am sharing with you both the original and modified versions of my family's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.


Homemade Chicken/Turkey Noodle Soup
[Printable Recipe]


1 4-5 lb chicken or turkey carcass (with generous meat left on)
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

2 lb carrots, roughly chopped

1 large bunch celery, roughly chopped

(other desired vegetables; mushrooms, zucchini, etc)

Dried/Fresh Basil

Dried/Fresh Rosemary

Dried/Fresh Thyme

Dried/Fresh Marjoram

Salt & Pepper

4 eggs

4 Tbsp Milk

4 c Flour 

-Gluten-Free-

Sorghum Flour

Brown Rice Flour

Tapioca Flour

Early to mid-morning, in a large stock pot, place the chicken/turkey with enough water to completely submerge the meat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a heavy simmer. Add the herbs (there are no quantities listed as I generally just add several Tbsp of each dried), cook for 3-5 hours. Add more water as necessary to keep the level over the meat.

Approximately 3 hours prior to desired serving time, carefully scoop all of the meat and bones out of the broth and set aside to cool slightly. (I will sometimes run the broth through a strainer to ensure that no small bones are left behind.) Add the onion and garlic, let simmer while you prepare the other vegetables. About 1 1/2 hours prior to desired serving time, add the carrots and celery, keeping at a medium - high simmer. Debone the meat, cut into bite sized pieces and add back to the stock pot, discarding bones, fat, etc. Add approximately 3-4 tsp salt and pepper to taste.

At 1 hour prior to desired serving time, bring the soup to a rolling boil. Crack eggs into medium mixing bowl and beat slightly with a fork. Add milk, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste). Gradually add the flour. [For gluten-free noodles: add 2 heaping Tbsp of each flour, continue adding at the rate of 1 Tbsp Tapioca Flour for every 2 Tbsp of Brown Rice & Sorghum combined.]  Continue adding flour until you have a kneadable dough. Generously cover your counter top (or large cutting board) with flour (brown rice flour) and using enough flour to keep the dough from sticking, roll it out in batches to 1/4" thickness. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1/2" x 2" strips (approximately). Gently lift the noodles off of the counter (with a spatula) and drop individually into the boiling soup, stirring as needed to submerge the noodles. Continue with all of the dough until finished or you have the desired amount of noodles (more is always better). Reduce the soup to a heavy simmer and continue to cook, while you clean up the counter (10-15 minutes). 


ENJOY!


Notes: This recipe can be reduced drastically with success. I have made it using two boneless chicken breasts and canned broth, in a 2 qt sauce pan. Use 1 egg and reduce the flour accordingly for the noodles.


The noodles are best eaten within a few days of making the soup. If you plan to freeze the soup, remove the desired amount of soup to another pan, prior to adding the noodles.  Add noodles only to the amount you plan to eat soon. Use Chinese Egg Noodles in the freezer portion of the soup, adding the raw noodles to the warm soup, prior to putting into freezer bags/containers. Or freeze the soup without noodles and reheat and make fresh noodles for any frozen soup. Store-bought noodles may also be added, in place of the homemade noodles.