Recipe(tried): Blustery Wednesday!! - Herb Roasted Purdue Chicken, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Hi All!! Since I've lived all my life in New Orleans, Louisiana (The real deep south) I am having fun now living in Asheville, North Carolina where there is actually a season change. It is 72* in New Orleans this morning, but here in Asheville it is a brisk 52*!!

Today I am making a homemade chicken noodle soup. I will make it using the leftovers from a lovely roasted Purdue Chicken and some wide noodles made from some leftover Pierogi dough!!

Herb Roasted Purdue Chicken

3 1/2 pound Purdue roasting chicken, well rinsed and patted dry, including giblets

1 medium onion, quartered (not peeled)
1 large or 2 small scrubbed carrots
2 ribs of celery with leaves
2 cloves fresh garlic, unpeeled and smashed
3 sprigs fresh Thyme
2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
1 teasp. lemon-pepper seasoning
1 teasp. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teasp. granulated garlic
1/2 lemon, quartered
1 tabsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil, best quality

Purdue chicken is a brand name of superior quality. If you cannot find this brand (we don't have it in New Orleans)....any good quality will do.

Place half of the onion into the large cavity of the chicken along with one carrot and one rib of celery, both cut in halfalong with the smashed garlic; add to this the lemon pieces. In the bottom of your roasting pan, scatter the remaining onion, carrot, celery and place the stuffed chicken on top.

Rub the tabsp. of butter into the skin of the chicken. Using your fingertips, gently remove the leaves for the sprigs of Thyme and Rosemary and scatter evenly over the top of the chicken. Season with the granulated garlic, lemon-pepper, and the dried Italian seasoning. Lightly drizzle the olive oil over the chicken.

Take a piece of foil and make a loose "tent" over the chicken and place in a preheated 375* oven for the appropriate cooking time. It should take anywhere from 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours depending on the size of the roasting chicken. Remove foil and baste with pan drippings before the last half hour of roasting. This will allow for a beautiful golden brown skin on the chicken.
A wonderful side dish would be to roast some root veggies or russet potatoes in a separate pan during the last hour or so of roasting the chicken. Season as desired. I served it with some buttered bowtie pasta and a mesculin salad tossed with some crumbled Feta cheese, ripe tomato chunks and a little Greek salad dressing. A little hot, crusty bread to soak up the lovely juices and VIOLA!! A great dinner.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

The carcass and ALL pan drippings and leftover meat from the Purdue roasted chicken

2 quarts of water
Homemade noodles or packaged

Place all leftover chicken, bones and pan drippings into a 5 qt. stockpot. add enough water to cover, at least 2 quarts, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for at least 1 1/2-2 hours adding more water as necessary.

Strain broth into a 3 qt. saucepan. Remove all chicken from the bones and reserve. Strain all veggies and pan drippings into the saucepan.

Taste the stock and add any necessary seasonings re: salt, pepper, etc. Bring to a boil and drop in homemade or packaged egg noodles and cook "al dente"; stir in reserved chicken meat and serve. We like to top the soup off with some freshly grated Romano cheese. A nice hot, crusty bread and a garden salad round out the meal. Buono Appetitto!