Tongling Chicken Noodle Soup

Tongling Chicken Noodle Soup

　　The most important part of chicken noodle soup is the broth — and for great broth, you need good chicken. The best kind is the free-range chicken raised by your grandmother when you were a child, not the mechanically farmed ones from commercial operations. If that seems too luxurious, you can opt for a not-too-fatty chicken. Just clean it well and boil it for one to two hours, and you’re done. While boiling, you can add some spices. If you don’t like strong spices, you can use some scallion segments, ginger slices, and a few Sichuan peppercorns instead.

　　There are many types of noodles to choose from. For home cooking, regular dried noodles are perfectly fine. If you have the means, you can also use hand-pulled noodles. Boil the noodles in water, and once it comes to a boil, pour in a small bowl of water. When it boils again, you're done.