Rotisserie Chicken Soup with Homemade Stock

Make the stock: Remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken and set aside. Add the bones, skin, and carcass to a large pot, and then add the carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, herbs, peppercorns, and salt. Add enough water until the ingredients are covered. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and let the broth simmer until it is flavorful and golden in color, about 3 hours. The longer you let it simmer the more flavorful it will be.

Once the stock is ready, use tongs to remove any large vegetables or bones and discard. Then place a strainer over a large bowl, and carefully pour the broth into the strainer so the liquid collects in the bowl below. Squeeze out the vegetables in the strainer to collect as much broth as possible, then discard the vegetables and chicken. Taste the stock, adding more salt if necessary.

Clean out the large pot then return it to the stove. Add the olive oil and heat over medium heat, then add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until the vegetable soften and the onion starts to lose its color, about 5 minutes. Pour the stock back into the pot, then add the potatoes, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper.

Shred the chicken meat you set aside in step 1, then add that to the pot. Let the soup cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

You can cook the noodles directly in the soup, however I prefer to cook them separately so they don’t soak up too much of the broth. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the noodles until they are al dente. Drain the noodles and add them to the soup, then serve.