Chicken Noodle Soup

With cold and flu season already here, it's time to break out that elixir of health: Chicken Noodle Soup!

With the depth of flavor, warm brothyness (yes that's a word now) and just plain goodness, it's hard to go wrong with a bowl of piping hot Chicken Soup. 

First, the ingredients: Thyme, Pepper, Bay leaf, Salt, Chicken Bullion, and Chicken stock

I made a mirepoix of half a large Onion, 3 Carrots, and 3 Celery stalks, all diced. If you don't like Onion, just double either the Celery or Carrots.

Over medium heat, I sweated the mirepoix for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the mirepoix is working it's magic in the stock pot, I cubed up 2 large Chicken Breasts. If you like smaller cubes, go for it. Tip: If you're having a hard time cutting flimsy chicken, freeze it for a few hours first. You don't want it frozen solid, just semi-frozen. It's easier to work with, just take your time when cutting.

Next comes 1Qt of Chicken stock:

Then the Spices, and Chicken:

2 Bay leafs in this pot please!

Once the Spices and Chicken are added, you can gage how much water or extra Chicken Stock you'd like to add. I personally put in 3 cups of water, as I like mine fairly soupy. Add more Chicken bullion for a stronger Chicken flavor if so desired.

Now, you may notice that after about 10 or so minutes, there's a white film on top of the bubbly soup.

Not to worry, just take your time and use a spoon to gently skim this layer off. Use a small bowl, and transfer the skimmed parts into the bowl to make more of a clear soup. It doesn't have to be perfectly skimmed, but you can see the difference between the two pictures.

After about 15-20 minutes on a slow boil, you can add in your noodles. Be careful with adding to many in! The noodles will soak up a lot of broth. If you like it noodly, knock yourself out. 

Now for the recipe:

1 Qt Chicken Broth

3 Cups Water

1 Tbsp Chicken Bullion

1 Tsp Thyme

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Pepper

2 Bay Leaves

2 Chicken Breasts, cubed

1 Cup Noodles

3 Carrots, diced

3 Celery Stalks, diced

1/2 Onion, diced

Add Celery, Carrots, Onion into 5qt stock pot on medium heat. Allow to sweat until translucent, or about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Chicken Broth, Thyme, Salt, Pepper, Bay, Chicken Breasts, and Chicken Bullion. If you have the squares of Chicken Bullion, just use one of the squares. Slow boil on medium heat for 20-25 minutes. Add Noodles and boil for another 10 minutes. 1 Cup Noodles is a fair amount, but if you like more, add in about a half a cup more.