Chicken Noodle Soup

Today is Ina Day! Ina Garten's new cookbook "Barefoot Contessa At Home" was released today. I'm expecting my signed copy in the mail any day now. In honoring Ina Day, I had to make an Ina recipe. I had just made loads of chicken stock a few days before, and had a chicken breast in the freezer. Abbie is a huge soup freak, and loves this. It makes a ton of soup, so you can freeze some. Home-made stock is always better than store-bought, but if you have to use it, buy Swanson's. Ina starts by roasting chicken breasts, then shredding them into the soup. Do yourself a favor, and buy a whole chicken. Eat half of it for dinner, make stock with the carcass, then make soup with your stock and leftover chicken. You won't be sorry.
Congratulations Ina!

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole (2 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts homemade chicken stock
1 cup medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
1 cup medium diced carrots (3 carrots)
2 cups wide egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breast on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred or dice the chicken meat.
Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot and add celery, carrots, and noodles. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are cooked. Add the cooked chicken meat and parsley and heat through.
Season to taste and serve.

Shredding the meat makes it look kind of earthy, and not manufactured. I like it better that way.