Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup, the soup everyone should have in their arsenal of recipes. But, I'm sad to say, until a couple of weeks ago, I had not ever made chicken noodle soup. I know, gasp, can you believe it? Well, after asking for some suggestions, I decided to try this recipe. It was really good! My family really enjoyed it, even the boys. I think next time I'll try to find some fun shaped or letter noodles for them, since egg noodles are so boring. If you're looking for a pretty easy and yummy chicken noodle soup to try, here you go! Perfect for this cold weather!

Chicken Noodle Soup

from Casual Cuisine

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts (I use 3 frozen because we like meatier dishes.)

8 cups chicken broth (You can also make your own with boullion cubes.)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 cup chopped carrot (2 medium)

1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)

1 1/2 cups dried egg noodles

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, optional

Directions:Saute onion with salt and pepper in a small amount of oil in a dutch oven. When onion is translucent, add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds or until garlic is cooked but not brown.

Add chicken broth (or water and bullion), chicken, and bay leaf, and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is completely cooked through, at least 20-25 minutes. I let my chicken simmer longer, close to two hours, because it is more tender and flavorful. If you do this, you may have to add more water as the water evaporates. If you're going to simmer your soup for 1-2 hours, make sure you don't have the temperature too high, or too much of the broth will evaporate. Remove bay leaf.

Once chicken is cooked, cut into small pieces, or just shred with two forks if meat is tender enough. You may remove it from the pot and do this, or just cut it with some kitchen knives directly in the pot. You may also want to skim the fat from the broth, I did not do this. Add chicken back into the pot if you removed it when cutting. Now, make sure you have enough liquid, if not, add more broth or water to your liking.

Bring broth back to a boil. Stir in carrot and celery. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes, or until carrots and celery are tender.

Stir in noodles. Simmer, covered, about 5 minutes or until noodles are tender but firm. Stir in parsley, if using it, to garnish.

This is linked to Prairie Story, Mangos and Chutney, and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.