Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

It's pretty chilly outside! I think a pot of chicken noodle soup is the perfect choice! Nothing like a warm bowl of yummy soup to make a cold day so much better. Also, low fat and nutritious to boot!

Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Yield: 4 – 6 large bowls

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag baby carrots (or 3 medium carrots)
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery with leaves, diced
2 tablespoons chicken soup base
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 4 – 5 springs fresh thyme)
6 – 7 cups water, or enough to cover ingredients by 1 inch
2 cups dry egg noodles or small pasta of choice

Equipment needed:

4 quart soup pot
Cutting board
Chef knife
Measuring spoons
Liquid & dry measuring cups
Rubber spatula
Ladle

I love soup and it's probably one of my favorite foods! It's easy to prepare, uses ingredients I always have on hand and can feed at least four people… with maybe a bit leftover. Makes a balanced meal in one pot too…Instant lunch or dinner with a salad or sandwich too! You don't need to be an accomplished chef to make soup and if your cutting skills are mediocre… who cares, it's all mixed up anyway! Of course start by prepping your ingredients first. Then add it all together and soups on in about an hour!

Soup uses basic cooking techniques, so begin with slicing the chicken breasts at a diagonal into ½ inch wide strips. Then cut the opposite direction into ½ inch cubes as shown. This will provide bite sized pieces that will cook quickly along with the vegetables and ensure the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Next step is to prep the vegetables! Celery stalks and leaves need to be washed first using a vegetable brush before cutting to remove the dirt that collects. Celery is one of the dirty dozen in the produce department! Meaning, it’s potentially harboring bacteria. Celery grows in the dirt, and generally is not washed thoroughly before selling. After washing, cut each stalk lengthwise into three or four long strips and then dice into small pieces. I always have baby carrots on hand, and they’re perfect for soup. Cut each carrot in half or thirds depending on their size. You can use whole, larger carrots too... whatever is on hand is my preference. Peel or wash whole carrots well with a vegetable brush and cut into ¼ inch slices or coins. Place all ingredients into a larger 4 – 5 quart pot with two handles as you finish cutting each.

Now comes the “soup” part! Add the water over vegetables, making sure it covers vegetables by about one inch. Add seasonings and chicken soup base, stir well to combine. Bring soup to a bowl over medium, high heat and then reduce to maintain a low simmer while covered. Too much heat will continue the boiling process and also evaporate your soup’s moisture. Keeping it at a low simmer is important. (If you have a simmer burner in the back of your stovetop, it will work great!) Here I leave the soup, covered for 15 - 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp and chicken is cooked.

Last step is cooking the noodles or in my case pasta. I always have a selection of small pasta to use in soup rather than noodles. Noodles often over cook and fall apart when reheating, so I love to use Ditalini, Acini di Pepe or small spiral pasta. Remember that pasta absorbs liquid as it cooks, so if much of your broth has evaporated you will need to add more broth. I usually make an extra cup of soup base dissolved in a cup of warm water just in case. Sometimes I add it after serving too as it helps stretch leftovers as the pasta absorbs more liquid.

Your soup is ready! Doesn’t is look heavenly? Fill your large soup/ pasta bowls and serve with crackers or crusty bread.. Enjoy!

** This soup can be made gluten free by substituting gluten free pasta or rice too!