Make Ahead

Lemon &Herb Chicken Soup with Spinach Pasta

by:
February  4, 2013
3.7
3 Ratings
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

On a cold lazy day when im feeling woozy and need a pick-me-uper, the best thing to have is homemade chicken noodle soup. And i mean literally. There is nothing better than fresh pasta and stock. I even like to steal fresh lemons,herbs, and bay leaves from my mother in law's garden! (shh.)
And even though it is probably not wise to spend all day making everything from scratch, especially when your sick, it is well worth it! My husband doesn't even seem to mind that Im passing the cold on to him, because its that good!
This recipe doesn't have any crazy tricks or specialty ingredients, its just simply Fresh and home-made. That is what makes it so good. For my stock I used leftover Pre-Roasted Turkey Carcass from Thanksgiving that i froze, along with some other yummy freezer goodies like giblets, hearts and necks from other chickens. Now is the time to clean out your fridge of leftover veggies too. I like to use chicken quarters for the soup instead of scraping off cooked chicken meat from the carcass after you make the stock. Because A)its better and B) why waste even more time picking it out of the stock. Just buy a whole chicken, save the legs, and use the raw carcass for the stock! Plus you get to practice your knife skills like a nerd. —Danielle Prewett

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Spinach pasta dough
  • 6 ounces Frozen Spinach, Squeezed Dry
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 egg Yolk
  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour, just to make it extra heart healthy
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • Lemon Chicken Soup
  • 1 Pre Cooked Turkey Carcass (optional)
  • 2-3 Raw Chicken Carcasses with giblets
  • 1/2 cup Tomato Paste
  • 4 of each: Carrots and or parsnips, Onions and or Leeks, and Celery, Divided
  • 4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
  • 4 Lemons, Halved
  • 4 Sprigs of rosemary and thyme
  • 1 tablespoon Each: Whole Coriander, Fennel, and celery Seed, red pepper flakes and peppercorns. Toasted and lightly cracked with mortar and pestle to release aromas
  • 2 Large Bay Leaves, Preferably Fresh
  • Splash White Wine
  • 4 Chicken Quarters, seasoned with S&P
  • 1 tablespoon Duck Fat, (or grapeseed/canola oil)
Directions
  1. Spinach pasta dough
  2. Using a Food processor, pulse your spinach as fine as possible. Add your eggs and puree to combine. Next, add your flours and salt and continue to pulse until the dough comes together. If its a bit clumpy thats okay.
  3. Knead your dough for about 10 minutes or until soft and smooth. Wrap your dough in plastic and allow to rest. for at least 20 min. This helps to hydrate the flour and to keep it from being too elastic.
  4. Once it has rested, roll your dough out in a pasta machine going from 1 -6 or 7. Folding in thirds each time and dusting with flour. Once it is rolled out long and smooth, cut your pasta into whatever noodle you prefer. I like wide noodles (pappardelle) or cut into 2" x 1" rectangles. (using the fluted cutter) and pinched in the middle for cute little bow ties (farfelle). Dust your pasta with rice flour to prevent them from sticking together.
  5. Have your pasta water boiling and salted. Cook your pasta when you are ready to serve your soup!
  1. Lemon Chicken Soup
  2. Roast your Bones for Stock: Baste your RAW Chicken Carcasses and most of your Chopped Veggies (3 carrots, 3 onions, 3 Leeks, 3 celery sticks or whatever it is that you have) with tomato paste. Roast in a 400 degree oven until browned and beginning to caramelize, approx. 45 min. In the last 5 minutes add your lemon halves to give it a sear. This helps to release some juices and deepen their flavor just a bit.
  3. Transfer your roasted veggies and chicken to a stock pot. Be sure to scrape up all the yummy cracklings on the bottom. Deglaze with a splash of wine to help scrape it up. Also add your pre-roasted turkey, lemon halves, and make your bouquet garni with the fresh herbs and seeds. Fill pot with cold water just enough to cover your chickens. Bring to a soft boil (NOT a Roiling Boil). Reduce heat and simmer for as long as you can stand. 6 hours or so. The longer the better. Skim the fat and foam from the top but resist the urge to stir. We dont want a cloudy broth!
  4. Strain your broth with a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth several times for the best clarity. Reserve your stock. You will probably only need about half of it for the actual soup, so the rest of what you dont use can be saved for later use.
  5. Now that we have stock, Lets make the actual Soup! In a large dutch oven, heat duck fat (or oil) at medium high. Brown your chicken quarters. Remove from pan and add the other half of your chopped veggies. Once they begin to soften add your garlic. Deglaze your pot again with a splash of white wine, because white wine is good for you when you feel sick.
  6. Add your delicious fresh stock to your pot. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer and let those flavors start reducing and melding. Taste, if it seems a little lack luster allow to simmer uncovered to reduce for a richer flavor. Maybe add a little more lemon? Fresh Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes? Try to refrain from adding salt until the VERY end. Once your broth is perfect return your chicken quarters and allow to simmer covered until they are about fall off the bone.
  7. Serve your hearty chicken and broth over your spinach pasta and enjoy a hard day of work!
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Popular on Food52

0 Reviews