Stock and soup · Tested twice, with a stopwatch

Chicken Stock, Then Soup

Name: Chicken Stock, Then Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 290 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken carcass plus 2 wings, or 3 lb chicken backs and wings; 2 carrots, roughly chopped; 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped; 1 onion, quartered, skin on; 1 head garlic, halved crosswise; 2 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon peppercorns; For the soup: 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, 2 carrots sliced, 2 celery stalks sliced, 6 oz egg noodles, fresh dill, salt

The stock takes four hours and asks for nothing. The soup that follows takes twenty minutes total, split across two separate, short sittings at the stove.

20 minhands-on

290 mintotal, start to plate

20 minHands-on

4 hr 50 minTotal

8Serves

2 potsTo wash up

Active vs. unattended

Each step below is marked active or unattended, so you can see exactly where the clock and your attention part ways.

Method

Active — Put the carcass, vegetables, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large stockpot and cover with cold water by 2 inches.
Active — Bring to a bare simmer — never a boil, which clouds the stock — skimming the foam that rises in the first 15 minutes.
Unattended — Leave it at the gentlest simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours. Check once an hour, mainly to top up water if it has reduced below the solids.
Active — Strain through a fine sieve, discarding the solids, and season with salt once you taste how concentrated it is.
Active — For the soup, bring the strained stock to a simmer in a clean pot, add the sliced carrot and celery, and cook 8 minutes until just tender.
Active — Add the noodles and cook according to the package, then stir in the shredded chicken to warm through and finish with dill and a final check for salt.

How to use the unattended time

The four unattended hours are a genuine stretch of free time — run errands, work, or simply leave the house for a while, checking the pot roughly once an hour for water level alone. The soup itself is a separate, short burst of activity whenever you are ready to eat.

The bit that matters

Never let the stock boil. A hard boil emulsifies the rendered fat into the liquid and turns a clear stock permanently cloudy — the gentlest possible simmer is the entire technique.

*Approximately 240 calories per serving. Calories are an estimate from standard ingredient databases; actual values vary by brand and portion. See our disclaimer.