Chicken Noodle Soup

Here is my latest column in The Hinton Voice.  If you live in the Hinton or Jasper area, you can find my column in the first issue of every month.

[With cold and flu season readily upon us, this recipe is a good one to keep close by.   This soup requires very little prep, making it ideal not only when you are feeling under the weather, but also when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

My favourite way to make chicken noodle soup is to boil an entire chicken (bones and all) for a few hours, which creates a great base for any soup.  This can be time consuming though, and let’s face it - the last thing you want to do when you’re not feeling well is to spend much time doing anything but snuggling up on the couch with a warm blanket.  This recipe is quick and easy, and uses ingredients that you likely already have at home.

I often make a double batch of this soup and freeze any leftovers for easy weekday meals. If you are planning on making a big batch, be sure to freeze it before you add the noodles. The pasta will soak up the broth and leave you with mushy noodles and a dish that more closely resembles stew than soup.  

  

So the next time someone is feeling sick in your house, be sure to make this recipe.  Aside from the couch, there really is nothing more comforting that a bowl of warm, homemade chicken noodle soup.]

Recipes makes 6 Servings

Ingredients

- 1 tsp butter or oil

- 2 chicken breasts, diced

- ¾ tsp poultry seasoning (1/4 tsp rosemary, 1/8 tsp each marjoram, sage, thyme, parsley)

- salt & pepper to taste

- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (or add ½ tsp garlic powder to the above seasonings)

- ½ medium onion, chopped

- 2 medium carrots, sliced

- 2 stalks of celery, sliced (optional)

- 2 L chicken broth

- 2 cups noodles (egg noodles work great, but any noodle will do)

Directions

Pre-heat a frying pan over medium heat (tip: to see if your pan is pre-heated enough, run a hand under the tap, and then “flick” a drop of water onto the pan.  If it sizzles, your pan is ready).   Melt butter or oil in pan, and then cook diced chicken with seasonings until no pink remains (about 5 minutes).

Add garlic, onion, carrots, and celery and cook until onions are slightly translucent (about 2-3 minutes). 

Add chicken broth and turn heat to medium-high until it starts to boil.  Once soup comes to a boil, bring the heat down to medium-low and simmer until the carrots are nearly cooked through (about 20 minutes). 

Add raw noodles and boil as per package directions (if using egg noodles this should be around 5 minutes).

Serve with soup crackers and plenty of warm blankets.

- Nutritional Info (per serving) -

Calories - 177   Fat - 3    Carbs – 16     Protein - 22   Fibre – 1

Enjoy!