Chicken Noodle Soup

A perennial favorite for those who eat meat and one of the more comforting foods out there. It’s hard to argue against the restorative powers of a well-made chicken soup, no matter the season. Fun? Maybe. Familiar? Definitely. Tasty? Oh, heck yes!

Ingredients:

·       Roasted Whole Chicken

·       10 cups Chicken Stock

·       2 Celery Stalks, cut into ½” pieces

·       3 large carrots, cut into ½” pieces

·       1 large Yellow Onion, diced

·       8 oz Hearty Noodles

·       1/3 stick butter

·       Salt & Pepper

·       2 bay leaves

·       5 Thyme Sprigs

·       ¼ cup finely chopped parsley

Instructions:

This recipe comes together so quickly, you’ll be shocked. The trick is starting with a roasted bird. You can keep it really easy and pick up a rotisserie chicken in the Eastside deli to keep things even speedier. Pull your bird apart and aim for approx. 3 cups of meat. Reserve the rest for tomorrow’s lunch.

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the celery and carrots. Season with S&P. Sizzle for 5-7 minutes. We want to soften these vegetables but not brown them.

Add stock. The stock is important, so use homemade stock if you have it or pick up something you’d be fine sipping on. Tie your thyme and bay leaves together if you have kitchen twine and drop it in the stock. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, put noodles in. Homemade noodles would be amazing, but who has time these days? We recommend something hearty like a wide egg noodle…something with some “bounce”. Once noodles are al dente, mix in your chicken and turn the heat down. We want to simmer the chicken for a few minutes. Remove the herbs and add finely chopped parsley. For adventurous ones, you could use some reserved celery leaves to garnish with. Season as needed.