Homemade Chicken Soup

From the Booty Food by Jacqui Malouf (Bloomsbury/St. Marten's Press)

Ingredients

1 4-pound chicken, quartered
4 tbs. butter, melted
small bunch of fresh thyme
small bunch fresh oregano
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 strips bacon (substitute for turkey bacon if you want)
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
4 celery stalks, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 bulb fresh fennel, diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
16 cups cold water
8 ounces small dry pasta noodles

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the chicken. Pace it, skin-side down, in a large oiled roasting pan. Brush the chicken with melted butter, cover it with the thyme, oregano, salt and pepper, and top with the bacon. Roast for 40 minutes, moving it to the lowest rack of the oven for the last 10 minutes of cooking. In an 8-quart stockpot, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, fennel, and parsnip. Add 1/8 cup of water, and simmer on high heat for five minutes. Add salt and pepper, then remove the veggies and set them aside. When the chicken is ready, set aside until cool, then remove the skin and bones, and cut the meat into small chucks. Save the skin and bones. Place the cooked herbs and bacon and the reserved skin and bones in the stockpot, and add 16 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 35minutes, skimming fat off occasionally. Removes the bones and strain. Add the reserved chicken and veggies, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until done, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.