Chicken Noodle Soup

Any time Andy gets the sniffles, I bust this one out in some form or another...

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken / *Rotisserie Chicken* (cut some corners if you're pressed for time or energy)
• 5 carrots; half diced, half rough chopped in 3 inch pieces
  
• 1 head of celery; half diced, half rough chopped in 3 inch pieces
  
• 2 leeks / 1 onion; rough chop
  
• 1 shallot; cut in half
• 1 lemon
• fresh herbs: rosemary/thyme/sage/etc.
• H2O
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic and chili sauce (optional)
  
• s&p
• 1/2 package egg noodles
  

Instructions:

1. Break down the whole chicken and remove the skin (if you don't know how to do this, check out the video I posted above). Salt and pepper the pieces.
   
2. Heat a large pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides. Set aside for later.
3. Add the rough chopped veggies (carrot, celery, leek, shallot), reserving the smaller diced ones for a later step.
   
4. When softened, add back in the chicken pieces and cover with water.
   
5. Add in the herbs, soy sauce and pepper and bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 1-1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the chicken, then strain the liquid into a bowl and discard the veggies. Skim the fat off of the top and pour the broth back into pot.
   
7. Shred the chicken (allow it to cool or use rubber gloves so that you don't burn your hands) and add it back into the pot, along with the reserved veggies.
8. Bring to a boil and add in the egg noodles. Stir until the noodles are cooked.
   
9. Taste the broth. If it needs salt or pepper, add more. For some heat, you can add the garlic chili sauce.
   
10. Ladle up some of the chicken and veggies into a bowl and then top with a ladle full of the broth.

Hope this chases those sniffles away!