Fireside Chat Ministries

By: Mandie Nelson

8/12/2023

My Gramma had the softest hands. And one of the kindest, most gentle hearts of anyone you could ever meet. She too was a survivor. Came through two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the loss of more family members than she could count. Yet, her heart stayed as soft and humble as her hands. For 95 years! She passed in 2021 from the dreaded virus. More on that later.

But I wanted to take a moment to honor her memory and share one of my favorite recipes of hers. If you truly want to make it like Gramma’s, you’d cook the carrots and the noodles separately, so you can add in as much or little as you’d like with your chicken broth. Like a buffet for the heart. And the tummy.

What makes this recipe so special is the homemade bone broth. For years, science didn’t know why chicken soup seemed to be the only soup that could heal a sick person, especially during cold and flu season. It turns out, the bone marrow in the whole chicken contains stem cells, which helps boost your immune system when you don’t feel good. 

Much like Gramma’s hugs. Enjoy. 

Grandma’s Chicken Soup

1 whole (young) chicken (organic is best!)

1 bag of carrots, chopped

1 full bunch of celery, chopped

1-2 onions, diced

1 whole bag of egg noodles

Parsley (one whole bunch of fresh, or about half the container of dried)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic (optional) to taste

Cover the whole chicken with water and a dash of salt in a large soup pot. Make sure the bird is all the way covered, but the water is not too close to the top of the pot, or it will boil over and you’ll have a mess. Boil on medium for about two hours, or until the meat is falling off the bones.

Carefully remove the bird and allow it to cool on a plate while you make the rest of the soup. If the bird has fallen apart during cooking, there are likely to be some bones still floating around in the bottom. Just be careful not to serve them.

Chop your carrots, celery, and onions, and add to the pot to boil in the broth. Now you add your salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Throw in some parsley, too. The more, the better. Toss in some more garlic. You can’t overdo it.

Once the vegetables are boiling, start tearing the chicken off the bone with a fork and knife. Don’t forget to be careful to get all the bones out of the soup (check again).

Once you have gotten all the meat off the bones, toss it back into the soup. Add the egg noodles. Cook until noodles are soft (about 10-13 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Also, throw in some more garlic. Just kidding…mostly. 😉