Caldo De Pollo Con Fideo - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 chicken, cut into quarters (3 1/2 to 4 lb. chicken)
2 small white onions (1 unpeeled, divided uses)
6 garlic cloves (2 unpeeled,divided uses)
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons salt
10 black peppercorns
15 mint sprigs
7 -8 cups water
3 ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (10 ounce) package fideo noodles (or about 8 oz. vermicelli)
fresh ground pepper, to taste (optional)
sliced fresh jalapeno pepper, for garnish

Preparation

Place chicken in stockpot or Dutch oven with unpeeled onion, the 2 unpeeled garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon salt,peppercorns and 3 sprigs mint.
Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat.
At once, reduce heat to maintain low rolling boil; skim off any froth that rises to top.
Cook, partly covered, until chicken is tender, 20-25 minutes; remove pot from heat and let chicken cool in stock.
Lift out chicken pieces. Discard skin, remove meat from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Strain stock into a bowl, discarding solids. Rinse out and dry pot.
Place chiles in small bowl and cover with 2 cups of the hot stock. Let sit for 20 minutes; transfer chiles and soaking liquid to blender and puree with remaining peeled and coarsely chopped onion and 4 peeled and quartered garlic cloves.
Add oil to clean stockpot and heat over medium-high heat until rippling.
Add the nests of fideos and brown lightly on both sides. If using vermicelli, stir-fry until lightly browned.
Lift out with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Pour out all but a thin film of oil from pot.
Add pureed chile mixture, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chicken, fried noodles and remaining stock. Bring to a boil and taste for salt, adding a little if it seems flat.
Cook over low heat until noodles are al dente, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop remaining mint. Add most of the mint to the soup; serve immediately with a sprinkling of the remaining mint, a few grinds of black pepper if desired and several jalapeno slices.