Chicken Noodle Soup

Steps

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the halved onion, the bay leaves, the peppercorns, 2 sprigs of thyme and the salt in a large pot, cover with the cold water and bring slowly to a simmer, skimming off the foam.
2. 2
   Simmer very gently, half-covered, for 1 hour 15 minutes, until a leg pulls away easily — a rolling boil makes the broth cloudy and the meat stringy.
3. 3
   Lift out the chicken and strain the broth into a bowl; skim off some of the fat. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones.
4. 4
   Melt the butter in the empty pot over medium heat and soften the diced onion, carrots and celery for 8 minutes, then add the garlic and the leaves of the remaining thyme for 1 minute.
5. 5
   Pour in 2.5 litres of the strained broth, bring to the boil and simmer 10 minutes, until the carrots are just tender.
6. 6
   Add the noodles and cook for the time on the packet, usually 6–8 minutes.
7. 7
   Return the chicken, heat through for 2 minutes and taste for salt.
8. 8
   Stir in the parsley and serve straight away — left standing, the noodles keep drinking up the broth.