Chicken Soup for Overcast Nights

Last night I made homemade chicken noodle soup with another great recipe from Talkin' Chow Playin' House. I realize Kar & Bri have become my go-to recipe book these days. I'll tell you what I have not yet once been disappointed and with their help I've added some new skills to my kitchen abilities. Here's the soup recipe.

I diced my chicken because I have a thing about shredded chicken - it just grosses me out for some reason.  I was in a bit of a rush so cooked the chicken in a pan on the stovetop with some olive oil and Mrs. Dash seasoning.

Now that I've made it once, I learned that I probably let too much broth cook off. I needed more broth. And I would put a few less noodles and more carrots and celery. I love chicken broth with carrots. I might even throw in some small bits of broccoli.

Warm soup, hot rolls (even if they were store-bought refrigerator crescents) with butter and mom's homemade strawberry jam and a delicious salad made for a perfect dinner on a cool, overcast night. After dinner took a walk and enjoyed a couple more of those Valentine's Day sugar cookies. Tomorrow I will post more on the salad. It's so quick and easy I whipped it up in less than 2 minutes and it is delicious!

photo by kalanicut

2012 update: This Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is no longer available online. So I am posting it here.

Bri's Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (yield 8-12 servings):

1 16 oz bag Country Pasta Homemade Style Egg Noodles (I use the thick ones)

2 chicken breasts (I recommend free range or going as natural as possible)

5 carrots, washed, peeled and diced

5 stalks celery, washed and diced

1 large yellow onion, diced finely

2 32 oz Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock

1-2 teaspoons organic Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base (you can find this by the stock at your grocery store)

1-2 cups water

2 teaspoons dried parsley

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and pat dry chicken breasts. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle each breast with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and/or any other blend of seasoning you like. I hit mine with a good dose of Chef's Shake which is a blend from The Spice Hunter. Pop in the oven and cook the chicken breast till they're done- about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and shred chicken with two forks. Set chicken aside while you get the soup ready.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large stock pot. Add diced carrot, celery and onion. Stir around and allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add both 32 oz Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock. Bring to a rolling boil. Add noodles. Allow noodles to cook for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes is up, add shredded chicken. Measure one tablespoon of Bouillon Chicken Base and stir and dissolve it into the soup.

Add one cup water. Now, taste the soup. Add salt and pepper to your liking. You can also add another teaspoon of Chicken Base and 1 cup of water if you think it needs it. Allow to cook for a few more minutes if the noodles and veggies are still a little firm. Stir in parsley before serving. Refrigerate left overs. Will keep in your fridge for 5-7 days.