CROCKPOT CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP  - NEW ORLEANS STYLE

1 lg Whole fryer
1/2 c Diced celery
4 ea Cloves minced garlic
3 ea Bay leaves
4 ea Qts water
2 tb Butter
1 c Sliced mushrooms
1/4 c Cream sherry
Green onions for garnish
1 c Diced onions
1/2 c Minced parsley
1 c Chopped carrots
1 ts Poultry seasoning
12 oz Broad egg noodles
1 c Sliced onion rings
1 c Diced carrots
Salt and pepper to taste

First, take the chicken and wash it thoroughly. Remove the giblets, scrub out the internal cavity under cold running water. (But DO NOT remove the chicken skin or any of the fat! You need the skin to make a rich stock.) Next, take a crock pot and place the chicken and giblets into it. Then drop in the diced onions, the ½ cup of chopped carrots and bay leaves, poultry seasoning and *2* quarts of water. Then, with a spoon, evenly distribute the seasoning mixture around the chicken, turn the crock pot to high, and cook for at least six hours (or overnight). Remember, the longer you cook, the richer the base stock and the more tender the chicken. Cook noodles, but make sure they are firm.

After the noodles are cooked, butter them slightly and set them aside. When the chicken is tender, take a set of tongs or a strainer spoon, remove it from the crock pot and set it on a platter to cool. Strain out all the seasoning vegetables from the stock, place the stock into a metal bowl, and place the bowl into the refrigerator or freezer until the chicken fat congeals (which should take about 1 hour). Meanwhile, pick the chicken off the bones and, with a sharp knife, chop it into bite-sized pieces. Then, in a heavy 12- inch skillet, melt the butter and saute the sliced onions, mushrooms, and carrots until they’re tender. Then drop in the chopped chicken meat. And over medium-low heat, cook it into the vegetables for about 10 minutes. While the chicken and vegetables are sauteing, remove the chicken stock from the refrigerator, skim off all the fat, and place the skimmed stock into a soup pot, along with the remaining 2 quarts of water. Season the soup stock to taste with salt and pepper. Now drop in the sauteed chicken, mushrooms, onion rings and diced carrots - along with the sherry, the Tabasco, and as soon as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup about 30 minutes to allow all the flavors to thoroughly blend.