Slow-Simmered Chicken Noodle Soup with Garlic & Thyme

Season the chicken legs all over with half the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat and brown the legs skin side down for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deep golden, then turn and sear 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

Tip: Pat the legs dry first so the skin browns instead of steaming.

Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat and lower the heat to medium. Add the sweet onion and celery and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute, until fragrant.

Return the chicken legs to the pot with any juices, then add the broth, water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, turn the heat down to low, partly cover and simmer 50 to 60 minutes, skimming any foam, until the meat pulls easily away from the bone.

Tip: Keep it at a gentle bubble; a hard boil turns the broth cloudy and the meat stringy.

Lift the chicken legs onto a cutting board and let them cool for 10 minutes. Pull the meat off with two forks, discarding all the skin, bones and cartilage, and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Fish out and discard the bay leaves.

While the chicken cools, raise the heat under the pot to medium-high and bring the broth back to a steady simmer. Add the carrots and macaroni and cook uncovered 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and the carrots are just soft at the edges.

Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot and simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes, until heated through. Taste and season with the remaining salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into deep bowls so each gets chicken, carrots and macaroni, then scatter over the chopped parsley and a crack of black pepper. Serve hot.

Tip: The macaroni keeps drinking broth as it sits; loosen leftovers with a splash of water when you reheat.