October 7, 2015

poultry panacea

Here's the scenario: You're lethargic and can feel yourself getting sick, AND the weather outside is frightful (officially scratching Joaquin off the list for potential dog and/or baby names). What's for dinner?


The answer is obvious: Chicken noodle soup. It's aromatic, nutritious, delicious, and most importantly in this specific instance, EASY. More ambitious (and less sickly) people would tell me to make my own broth or stock, but I was fine with using the already-prepared version on this particular windy, rainy, altogether unpleasant eve.

I was looking at recipes online and saw some using rosemary as the primary herb and others using thyme. I like both, but my decision was made for me when I looked outside through the rain-streaked windows and was reminded that our rosemary plants were a total bust but that the thyme was still sitting pretty.


Adding pasta to soups is always a little hairy. If you have leftovers or don't eat immediately, the pasta gets swollen and soft and gross (and steals a lot of that delicious broth!). I almost always cook with the intention of having leftovers, so I'll usually keep the pasta out of any soup, prepare it separately, and add the noodles to each bowl. They aren't quite as tasty this way, but rounds two and three (and four!?) benefit greatly!

Chicken and Egg (Noodle) Soup
(printable recipe)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 4 fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs
  • 2 quarts chicken stock or broth
  • 8 ounces dried wide egg noodles
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
Directions:
Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and thyme. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil.
Stir in the chicken and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. If you're intended to serve this immediately and consume all of it, add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. If not, prepare the noodles separately and add them bowl to bowl.
Before serving, stir in a handful of chopped fresh parsley, and add freshly ground black pepper, more thyme or rosemary, and more salt to taste.

16 comments:

  1. I love chicken noodle soup! Perfect for autumn when the weather is getting colder and my resolve to leave my house is weakening by the second. Thanks for sharing x

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  2. I had some chicken soup for the dinner too. Yours looks great, Grace.

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  3. It looks like how I love chicken noodle soup: lots of stuff and some broth. I hope you're feeling better soon. We are all under the weather following the rain combined with the run-run-run of the wedding.

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  4. Hi Grace, you soup looks amazing, I always cook my noodles separately too. It's still pretty warm in in AZ

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  5. Soup does a body -- and soul -- good. There really is something extraordinarily comforting and satisfying about home-made soup. I hope it proved to be just the ticket to make you feel like yourself again.

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  6. Chicken noodle soup and chicken and dumplings are two things my kids can eat every single night of the week! But, I almost always use dried herbs when I make mine. Hope that delicious looking soup helps and you are feeling better soon :)

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  7. Good idea about cooking the pasta separately. My last tomato noodle soup with meatballs, was eaten as noodles with tomato sauce and meatballs, although we ate it about 15 minutes after finishing cooking. It was still good but there was not even a hint of soup in it.

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  8. I am the only vegetarian in the family and the rest of my crew would love a bowl of chicken soup.

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  9. Great idea to add the noodles to the broth when serving. I hate the soggy noodles in the leftover soup. This looks comforting and delicious.

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  10. Soup is all I've been craving lately and this looks like a big bowl of comfort!

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  11. Such a good tip to cook the pasta separately and add it at the end! This soup looks like a perfect bowl of comfort.

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  12. Your soup looks great and is the cure-all for about anything!

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  13. I know what you mean, this soup is a great pick-me-up when you're feeling lethargic!

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  14. This is officially my new favorite blog post title - you are so creative! And yes, sometimes chicken noodle soup is the one and only thing that will do...and this looks like a great one!

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  15. A bowl of this is most definitely the best way to feel better :)

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