Hey everyone! I hope you’re all doing well 😊. There is a lot going on these days on a global scale because of Coronavirus and it’s pushing many of us to spend our days at home (#socialDistancing). One of my favorite things to do to lift my spirits when I’m stuck at home is cook a delicious meal and as a bonus I get to share with you guys what’s cooking! Today I have for you my chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s a classic stay-at-home meal that’s perfect for a dreary day in or for if you’re feeling under the weather. Hope you can give it a try and let me know what you think! Let’s get started, shall we?
Ingredients:
For chicken broth:
- 9 cups water
- 1.5-2 lbs chicken
- 2 small onions
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 garlic head
- 1/4 head of cabbage
- Freshly ground black pepper
For soup:
- Chicken broth
- 1-2 (additional) cups water
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup roughly chopped cabbage
- Shredded chicken (from broth)
- 1.5 cup dry elbow macaroni
- Salt, to taste (start with 2-3 tbsp)
- Freshly chopped parsley, to garnish
Directions:
When it comes to making a broth there are some basic necessities and then anything else is just a *sprinkle* of additional flavor. Additional flavor is great, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t have everything. The very basic necessity for a chicken broth is…you guessed it. Chicken! If you don’t have chicken then I’m afraid you just have water. Water is not soup. I hope I’m not the first to break this to you… moving right along😐
Let’s start making this broth. In a large pot add in the water, chicken, and vegetables. I used a whole chicken cut into pieces because that’s what we usually have but you can also use a whole intact chicken. For the vegetables chop the onions in half keeping the peels on (this gives the broth that beautiful yellow hue). The carrots and garlic head can be chopped in half, too. As for the cabbage just make sure to use the bottom part of the cabbage attached to the root so it stays together.
Add in a few teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper and then you can cover it and let it simmer away on medium-medium low heat for at least 40 minutes to an hour. While it simmers you can check on it every 10-15 minutes and skim off any fat at the top.
You might be wondering why I haven’t added the salt at this stage and let me just say, that is an excellent question! In my super humble opinion, I do this because the broth is going to reduce significantly so we don’t want to add salt until we are at the final level of liquid. While I was giving you my free cooking lesson that broth finished simmering! I know, that was just quick as a wink–time flies when you’re having fun. Now is the time to remove the chicken. Just let it rest for a few minutes until it’s cool enough to handle. Let the broth continue to simmer away with the vegetables. While you wait for the chicken to cool you can go ahead and chop the vegetables. Then move on to the chicken and shred it up.
At this point the vegetables have given almost everything they’ve got to the broth so they can be strained and discarded. A noble sacrifice indeed😩.
Don’t worry veggies, you won’t be forgotten. Your flavor lives on in this chicken soup 🤗. Using a strainer clean up the broth as best you can until it’s clear enough. At this point you are done with the soup’s base and that is really the biggest part. So, you can look forward to smooth sailing from here on out.
*SIDE RECIPE*
You weren’t expecting this, now were you? Well, whoever told you chicken noodle soup wasn’t exciting and unexpected this is to prove them wrong. I’m about to drop another recipe on you. It involves broth, salt, and the secret ingredient….black pepper! There, I dropped it.
I know, so many things you weren’t expecting! What can I say except that one recipe can lead to many others. This was just something my mom would always give me and my siblings whenever we were sick. I never really have much of an appetite when I’m sick but this was a great way to give us something to warm our stomachs and give us some energy. Just a nice homey broth to make you feel better. All it needs is salt and a sprinkle of ground black pepper. I don’t know what it is about black pepper but we pretty much always use it when we feel sick…mysterious.
*END OF SIDE RECIPE*
Now back to our regularly scheduled recipe. Into your finished broth first add in your additional cups of water. I chose to do 2 cups of water, but it’s really up to you. I noticed that 2 cups was enough to keep the depth of flavor from the broth but also add a little more soup to work with. Let everything heat up on a medium to high heat and then add the salt. Add it in a tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go. Bring the soup to a rapid boil and then you can add in the macaroni. I used elbow macaroni but any small pasta would work. Let it cook for around 5 minutes stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom and then you can add in all the vegetables and shredded chicken.
The vegetables just need to cook for a few minutes so they retain their crunch and color. Test the pasta to see if it’s cooked properly and lastly give it one last taste test to make sure you have enough salt. And if you do, you know what’s up?? This soup! It’s ready to be served…up 😅. Just garnish with some chopped parsley and enjoy!
I really hope you give this recipe a try and if you do let me know! Stay safe everyone and I hope you can make the most of your days indoors😊.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For chicken broth:
- 9 cups water
- 1½-2 pounds chicken
- 2 small onions
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 garlic head
- ¼ head of cabbage
For Soup:
- Chicken broth
- 1-2 cups (additional) cups water
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 cup roughly chopped cabbage
- Shredded chicken (from broth)
- 1½ cup dry elbow macaroni
- Salt, to taste (start with 2-3 tbsp)
- Freshly chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Start by making your broth by chopping all your vegetables in half. Cut the cabbage so it is still attached at the root so the leaves stay intact during cooking. (You may or may not remove the onion peels, but if you do keep them they will contribute to the yellow hue in the broth.)Add water in a large pot along with vegetables, garlic, chicken (pieces or whole), and freshly ground pepper.
- Bring it to a simmer and allow to simmer for 40 minutes to an hour.At this point remove the chicken and set aside to cool.
- Chop the carrots and cabbage for soup and once chicken cools shred it.
- After tearing chicken remove all the vegetables from broth using a strainer and discard.
- Add in up to 2 cups of additional water and then continue to cook on simmer.
- Add salt one tablespoon at a time, tasting to make sure it's fine.
- Bring the soup to a rapid boil and then add in pasta. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add in the vegetables and chicken.
- Let vegetables cook for a few minutes, just enough to soften slightly but still allow it retain crunch and color.
- Check to see if pasta is cooked and salt is to your taste.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve it up immediately.
- Enjoy!
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