Regardless of the time of year, chicken noodle soup is credited with curing the common cold and being one of the ultimate comfort foods. Try this homemade chicken noodle soup recipe and see if you don’t feel better with each spoonful.
Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts
2 onions – cut one in half and chop the other
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
3 carrots peeled and chopped
3 ribs of celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons celery leaves from the stalk
Season with salt and pepper (S&P)
32 ounces chicken broth (4 cups)
1/3 pound of wide egg noodles
4 scallion, thinly chopped at an angle
¼ cup finely chopped leaf parsley
¼ cup fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill
Grated peel of 1 lemon
Preparation:
In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, halved onion, garlic, bay leaf and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Season with S&P.
While the chicken is cooking, in a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the EVOO, over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cover the pot and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and 2 cups additional water or broth as needed to the pot and bring to a boil. Shred the poached chicken into pieces and add to the soup. Stir in the egg noodles and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the scallions, parsley, celery leaves, dill and lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BASE: HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK
Homemade chicken stock is worth preparing and having on hand for meal preparation, especially soups and rice. Store containers in the freezer to pull out when needed. While the store bought variety is handy, the taste of real stock is better. Chicken broth can be used to substitute for water in soups, especially dried soup mix packages. Also use this broth in rice recipes in lieu of water to enrich the taste.
Ingredients for Chicken Broth:
Whole, uncooked chicken, or carcass from a cooked chicken or turkey. (Become a culinary bone collector).
12 cups water
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 bay leaf
1 large fresh parsley spring
1 fresh thyme sprig or 1/2 teaspoon dried
Preparation:
Place carcass in pot, and take cleaver of kitchen shears to cut carcass into large pieces.
Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, skimming foam from surface. Reduce heat to simmer until liquid is reduced to 8 cups (usually between 3-4 hours).
Cool slightly. Strain stock, to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Save any excess meat from carcass to use in soups, casseroles, or other recipes requiring chicken. Refrigerate overnight. Skim off fat and place in containers and freeze to use for soups and cooking.
For more winter weather recipes, try this Spicy Taco Soup here.
