Chicken Noodle Soup

by Ellie Weightman, Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Recipe
Crock pot option - allow more time

Ingredients for Stock:

1 tblsp vegetable oil
1 lb ground chicken
3 small boiler onions (cut in half) OR 1 small onion, chopped med (about 1 cup)
1 med carrot, peeled and chopped medium (1/2 cup)
1 med celery stalk, chop medium
3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
1 quart water
2 quarts (64 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 tsp table salt
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (12 oz each), cut in half crosswise

Ingredients for Soup:

3 tblsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin (1 cup)
1 med celery stalk, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces (1/2 cup)
1 med russet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cup)
4 oz egg noodles (1 cup)
2 cups Collard Greens (frozen or fresh)
1 tblsp minced fresh parsley or 1/2 tblsp dried

Stock:  Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until simmering.  Add ground chicken, onion, carrot, garlic and celery.  Cook, stirring frequently until chicken is no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes but do not brown.

Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add water, broth, bay leaves, salt and chicken breasts: cover and cook 30 minutes.  Remove lid, increase heat to high and bring to boil.  (If liquid is already boiling when lid is removed, remove chicken breasts immediately and continue with recipe).  Transfer chicken breasts to large plate and set aside.  Continue to cook stock for 20 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain gentle boil.  Strain stock through fine-mesh strainer into large pot or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.  Allow liquid to settle 5 minues and skim off fat

Soup:  Return stock to Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.  In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth slurry forms; stir into stock and bring to gentle boil. 

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Option 1:  Add onion, carrots, celery and potato and cook until potato pieces are almost tender, 10-15 minutes, adjusting as necessary to maintain gentle boil.  Add egg noodles and continue to cook until all vegetables and noodles are tender, about 5 minutes longer.j

Remove skin and bones from reserved cooked chicken and discard.  Shred meat with fingers or 2 forks.  Add shredded chicken, collard greens and parsley to soup and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

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Option 2 - Crock Pot:  In a crock pot, add onion, carrots, celery and potato and cook on high until potato pieces are almost tender (approximately 2 1/2 - 3 hours depending on the size you cut your potatoes).  Meanwhile, remove bone and skin from chicken and shred chicken with fingers.

Once the vegetables are tender, add egg noodles, shredded chicken, collard greens and parsley to soup and cook until heated through, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.