Chicken Noodle Soup

The one thing you need to know about soup is it's EASY to make! Seriously, it's one of the easiest things to make in the kitchen, yet I grew up on canned soups and considered them a "staple" for the longest time!

Here's a fun story illustrate my point: I teach preschool, and one day I asked all the kids to bring in a vegetable so we could make vegetable soup to go along with a book we were reading. I thought I was going to get just corn and potatoes, but they brought in carrots, broccoli, and squash. I added an onion, because everything just tastes better with onion. :-)

I cut up all the vegetables into uniform pieces, and the kids threw them in a pot of water. We added a couple of bouillon cubes and set it to cook on the stove. At least 5 different people in the building stopped by to ask what that delicious smell was! And it was AMAZINGLY flavorful and almost laughably easy and simple. Most of the kids loved it (one actually described it as "an explosion in my mouth of goodness"), although I had some vegetable haters, of course.

If preschoolers can do it, we all can!



So, the first step is to make the broth (or defrost it if you're using already prepared broth). See my chicken broth recipe for step-by-step instructions.

I cooked some chicken breasts in the broth this time, and this is the amount I had when I took the meat off the bones. You can use leftover baked chicken, too. Add this meat to the broth and start all simmering on the stove.



Grab an onion, some celery and carrots. Trim, peel and dice in pretty uniform pieces (you want things to fit on a soup spoon) and add to the broth.

These are my trimming pieces to show how I take these parts and put them in the baggie you see and stick them in the freezer. They are ready for the next batch of broth.

This might be controversial, :-) but I like to add a garlic clove to my soup - it's up to you, but I think it adds nice flavor and we were all sick when I made this and garlic just seems so healthy...

Just peel and mince and add it to the broth. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the noodles, and bring back to a boil, then cook at a low boil until the noodles are tender.

Season with salt and pepper. Remember, we started with homemade broth, so you will need enough salt to flavor the soup. I start with about a tablespoon, then taste to see if I need more. The great part about homemade is you can tailor it to your tastes and needs, as far as salt goes. We also like a lot of pepper, but some people find it too hot, so adjust as you like!

There it is - soup! It's delicious and so easy, you'll never go back to canned (it freezes great, too).

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 6 quarts chicken broth
• 3-4 cups cooked chicken, cubed and/or shredded
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced (optional)
• 12-16oz egg noodles
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the broth in a large soup pot and bring to a simmer over med-high heat.
2. Add the chicken and vegetables, bring back to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through.
3. Add the noodles, bring back to a boil, and simmer 8-10 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
4. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with some homemade bread.

Jami