A YUMMY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (8-QT. PRESSURE COOKER)

Steps:

• GARLIC GINGER CHICKEN BROTH.
• Combine salt, peppercorns, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, parsley sprigs, ginger and garlic in an 8-quart or larger pressure cooker pot.
• Place spatchcocked chicken on top. Add water, but do not let liquid level rise above 2/3 marker on pot.
• Secure lid. Bring to HIGH pressure and cook at pressure for 24 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
• Remove lid. Transfer chicken to a platter to cool. Strain broth into a large bowl. Remove carrots and reserve for use in Noodle Soup; let them cool. Discard other solids from strainer.
• I recommend making the broth the night before and allowing time for it to cool before refrigerating. (That gives you plenty of time to pressure cook a second batch of chicken if it didn't all fit in your cooker.) The next day it's easy to remove the layer of chicken fat from the top of the gelatinous broth. (Broth can be stored in a refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for 3 months.).
• While broth cools, slice reserved carrots into rounds and store in covered container in the refrigerator until making Noodle Soup.
• Shred chicken meat from the bones. Discard skin, bones, and cartilage. Cover and refrigerate shredded chicken until making Noodle Soup.
• NOODLE SOUP.
• Remove fat layer from broth and return to pressure cooker pot. (Actually, tonight you don't have to cook under pressure so Noodle Soup can be prepared in a regular pot or in the pressure cooker pot, your choice. However, if you need fresh carrots, chop 2 medium raw carrots and use the pressure cooker at pressure.).
• Bring the broth to a boil.
• Add shredded chicken, pressure-cooked carrot rounds, and dry noodles and cook until noodles are al dente, about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodles (see package). (If using raw carrots, I would bring all to HIGH pressure and cook at pressure for 10 minutes, even though the noodles would be over-cooked - who wants hard carrots! Follow the p.c. manual's directions for quick release. For my Cooks Essentials p.c., I need to let it release naturally for at least 15 minutes before gingerly pressing the release button.) If omitting mushrooms, go to Step 16.
• OPTIONAL MUSHROOMS.
• Meanwhile, on medium heat in a non-stick sauté pan, heat butter and sauté mushroom wedges until soft. If desired, add a splash of dry sherry or dry white wine and raise heat to cook off liquid, stirring mushrooms constantly.
• Stir mushrooms into soup.
• Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.