Posted: December 5th, 2010 | Filed under: Chicken, Entree | Tags: best chicken noodle soup, chicken and noodle soup, chicken noodle, home made chicken noodle | No Comments »
About a year ago I posted a recipe for a really tasty chicken noodle soup. (Yes, it is very very delicious.) But you see, I have this thing for thick noodles. I love them. I love udon noodles, I love dumplings, I love big fat thick almost chewy noodles. They are delicious. There is something about their girth that just makes my taste buds tingle and my mouth sing. Its kind of like when people have a cookie preference – chewy or crunchy. I go for chewy every time. I’m they same with my noodles. Something in me just loves a big fat thick noodle. So to improve my chicken noodle soup recipe, the noodle had to change. I did some searching around the internet, I scoured my many cookbooks. I consulted with other soup lovers. And then I made soup. Not just any soup. A comforting, its cold outside and I may (or may not) have the sniffles, and I want to cuddle on the couch and watch Pride and Prejudice kind of soup. The kind of soup that tastes like hugs would taste. (You know, if hugs were soup.) A nice break from Thanksgiving leftovers and Christmas party food. Eat by itself or indulge with a ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich for extra comfort.
Alyssa’s New and Improved Better Chicken Noodle Soup
1 whole fryer chicken, cut up
4 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
½ medium yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
2 boxes of chicken broth
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons turmeric
¼ teaspoons white pepper (more To Taste)
¼ teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
16 ouncesReames Egg Noodles (I found them at Kroger)
3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
Preparation Instructions
Cover chicken in 4 quarts water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding meat in the process.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot, and join it with the bouillon, water, and chicken stock.
Add the carrots and celery and onions, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine and simmer for thirty minutes to meld flavors, until the carrots are soft and the onions are translucent.
Increase heat and add frozen egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Mix flour and a little water. Stir until smooth. Pour into soup, stir to combine, and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until broth thickens a bit.
Posted: January 3rd, 2010 | Filed under: Chicken | Tags: chicken noodle, chicken soup, comfort foods, easy comfort foods, Noodle soup | 3 Comments »
So we really haven’t been home for more than a few days here and there for the last couple of weeks. Even when we have “been home” things have been so busy with work and what not we have spent very little time actually at home. So to say the least… as nice as our holiday has been, and wonderful as staying in a great hotel was last weekend… I am just a little exhausted. So when I got home today I had a little cooking to do, and a very large grocery list for us since we hadn’t actually gone grocery shopping in probably three weeks. I love making lists and grocery shopping and picking things out carefully, but today, I was just ready to be home. So when I got home, I decided to make one of my favorite comfort foods… chicken noodle soup. I can’t stand canned chicken noodle, it just doesn’t ever taste right… (I’m sorry if you dislike me for that, consider yourself lucky you can pop a can and warm it up and be done.) So I went ahead and made a big pot, and froze half and portioned out the rest for the week… so comforting to know its all done, that its delicious, its flavorful… and its not too far off track from my New Years resolution.
Chicken Noodle Soup
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts (or 1 lb. chicken of your choice)
2 lemons
6 large carrots peeled and sliced into 1 in pieces
1/2 small yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic diced
32 oz low sodium chicken broth (I use Swanson)
4 c water
1/2 small box of angel hair pasta
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat your chicken with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place in a small baking dish. Slice the lemon in half, squeeze over the chicken, and place the lemon pieces along side the chicken in the baking dish. Roast the chicken until done (opaque all the way through) about 20 min. When your chicken is done, remove from the oven and let it rest while you prepare the broth.
In a large pot pour about 2 tbsp olive oil, add your onion, garlic, a few good grinds of salt and pepper (or dashes if you don’t grind fresh) and your herbs. Cook over medium high heat until onions are clear. Add your chicken broth, water, carrots and pasta to the pot and cook until the broth boils. Dice your chicken into 1/2 in pieces while your broth is coming to a boil. Add your chicken and chicken drippings/juices to the pot. (Discard your lemons… please don’t add them to the soup… that would be weird.) Reduce your heat to low and simmer for 30 min. Turn heat to off when you are ready to enjoy.
Freeze for up to three months.
*This took me just over an hour to prepare and finish, and made a large amount, probably enough for 4-6.
And don’t worry… I do have a pic of Ryan and I from the weekend… here we are in front of the Dallas Museum of Art on our trek around the newly updated Dallas Arts District… We had tons of fun… and too much good food… I ate a lot of french fries… and now I am glad to be home.
