It is that time of year when I feel like everyone I know is coming down with or getting over something. This chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food to make anyone feel better! Full of delicious and tender chicken, vegetables and noodles, I crave it anytime I don’t feel well – and I can’t be the only one. This is not a difficult recipe but I still tagged it with “Live to Eat” because I know most people will just buy it in the can if they don’t feel like cooking. However, homemade is much more delicious and healthy, so I welcome you to try it!
Chicken Noodle Soup
Equipment
- Medium saucepan (or two if you don’t want to wash and reuse after poaching the chicken)
- Bowl to hold the poaching liquid
- Thermometer
- cutting board
- Chef's Knife
- Pot large enough to boil noodles
- Colander
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1 ½ quarts divided chicken stock (either homemade or organic low-sodium version)
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. kosher salt (for the poaching liquid – see below there is more for the soup)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ pound egg noodles
- 2 tbsp. olive or avocado oil (plus another spritz for the cooked, cooled noodles)
- 1 small onion; ¼ inch macedoine dice (about 1 cup)
- 3 carrots; ¼ inch macedoine dice (about 1 cup)
- 2 stalks celery; ¼ inch macedoine dice (about 1 cup)
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- ¼ cup chiffonade or finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Method of Preparation:
- Gather mise en place. Cut the vegetables and herbs as directed in the instruction list.
- In medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the chicken stock with the lemon juice, kosher salt and bay leaf.
- Bring liquid to poaching temperature range, somewhere between 170-175ºF. It is important to maintain that temperature to gently poach the chicken tenders.
- Cook the chicken tenders to a safe internal temperature of 165ºF. Remove the chicken to cool on the cutting board before cutting them into bite-sized pieces.
- Hold that poaching liquid in a separate bowl, then clean and dry the sauce pan to use for making the soup.
- Heat the pan with 2 tablespoons of olive or avocado oil over medium high heat.
- Add the diced onions, carrots and celery to the pan. Sweat the vegetables until translucent but stir occasionally to ensure that you do not get color on them.
- Season the vegetables with the kosher salt and black pepper.
- Once the vegetables are cooked through, deglaze the pan with the leftover poaching liquid plus 4 cups more chicken stock. Also add the bay leaf at this point.
- Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the vegetables are very tender – about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile bring a pot of salted water to a boil to cook the egg noodles according to package instructions. Be careful NOT to over cook the noodles. Once they are cooked, quickly rinse the drained noodles in cool water and then toss with just a spritz of oil so they do not stick.
- When the soup is finished and the vegetables are tender, first dépouillage (or skim with a ladle) any of the fat and foam that may have collected on the top and remove.
- Then taste the soup to adjust the seasonings to your liking and remove the bay leaf.
- Cut the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces and add them to the soup.
- The issue I find with homemade noodle soups is that often when you add the noodles to the soup, they soak up the liquid and it becomes more of a noodle stew. I do not like that. My suggestion is that if you are going to eat the soup right away, add just enough noodles to heat through only what you will eat at that sitting. If you are eating it later or giving it to someone sick, store it or give them the soup and the noodles packaged separately. Only add the noodles just before serving so that the composition remains the way it was intended.
- Add the chiffonade or chopped parsley also just before serving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
As I said in the recipe, for me, it is important to keep the cooked noodles separate until ready to eat it so they don’t blow up and take over the dish. Make this for your friends and family who are not feeling well to help them feel loved, comforted and nourished! Or just make it for yourself because it is SO delicious. Enjoy!
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