Feeling a wee bit under the weather? I recently was. So in looking for comfort food to make, and wanting something both simple and flavorful, this one came up in an Internet search and looked to fit the bill. My wee changes/tweaks are in italics as usual below:
Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Averie Cooks.
Yield: about 12 cups, Prep Time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: about 30 minutes, Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin (about 1 1/2 large carrots)
- 1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)
- 1 cup sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 64 ounces (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth (I used regular salt strength as there is nothing worse than a bland soup.)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. (Next time I will just use my dried thyme as there was a lot of leftover fresh in the bunch I bought from Ralph’s.)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste (Next time will only use 1/2 teaspoon, it was a bit too peppery for my family.)
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles – or your favorite noodles or pasta.
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken – use store bought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet. (Rotisserie not ready when I went shopping at 9am. I asked the deli for their roasted chicken to be cut into thick slices for me and the little bit of seasoning on the side added to the soup’s flavor.)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional (left it out due to tummy ache, didn’t miss it.)
- salt, to taste
Directions:
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes. (I cooked the garlic with the veggies – loved how the house smelled!)
- Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender.
- Add the egg noodles and boil mixture for about 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft and cooked through. At any time while making the soup, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of water is okay. At the end you will adjust the salt level. (Had to add at least 2 cups of water here, and she was right, didn’t make a difference to the soup’s flavor.)
- Add the chicken, parsley, optional lemon juice (brightens up the flavor), and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through. Taste soup and add salt to taste. I added about 1 tablespoon but this will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, herbs, etc.), remove the bay leaves, and serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. (I’ve got mine in the freezer and literally can’t wait for a family member to be ill or the skies to open up with tons of rain while we stay inside, warm and slurping this delicious soup.)
