A few weeks ago, I went to Cincinnati with my people to hang out and run a 5k.

The run wasn’t so bad, but come Saturday evening I was sick. So sick, in fact, that I could not eat dinner. Which was a travesty, really, because I had to watch my friends enjoy massive, juicy burgers and hot dogs at Cincy hotspot Senate while I sipped ginger ale. Yes, major bummer.

For the next several days, the only thing that sounded edible was homemade chicken noodle soup. So I made some. This recipe is easy enough for a sick person to manage on her own. And it is everything you could ever want when you are under the weather.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Adapted from Ina Garten
Serves 6

2 quarts homemade chicken stock or low sodium stock in a box (not broth)
3 to 4 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cups wide egg noodles
1 rotisserie chicken
¼ cup flat leaf parsley
Salt & pepper

• Bring chicken stock to a simmer. Add carrots and celery and return to a simmer. Add egg noodles. Simmer 10 minutes or until noodles are cooked through.
• Meanwhile, pick all the meat off your rotisserie chicken and chop the parsley. Seal the chicken bones in an air-tight bag, and place in the freezer.
• Add chicken and parsley to soup and warm through. Serve with Premium saltine crackers and ginger ale on ice.

Now, let’s make stock! It’s so easy. I buy a rotisserie chicken about once a week, so I save the bones and make stock one night while I’m vegging out at home. I usually have all the other ingredients on hand, and if I don’t, I just use what I have. No big whoop.

Homemade Chicken Stock
Makes 3-4 quarts

2 rotisserie chicken carcasses
2 onions, quartered
3 carrots, cut in thirds
3 stalks celery, cut in thirds
1 head garlic, halved lengthwise
1 bunch of parsley
1 tablespoon dried thyme (or fresh if you have it)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

• Throw everything into a large stockpot. Fill pot with water (4 to 6 quarts). Simmer 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.
• Strain and discard the solids. I used a two-part straining system. First, using a large class measuring cup with a spout, pour the stuff through a colander. Press solids with a wooden spoon, squeezing out all the stock. This gets rid of most of the solids. I then carefully pour that through a fine mesh strainer into quart containers. Think this process through for yourself before you begin. This is nothing sadder than watching the liquid gold you have cooked for four hours spill on the counter.
• Pour into 1 quart containers and place in the fridge overnight. The next day, skim the layer of fat from the top of each container. Use or freeze right away.