Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

One of the pleasures in life is having food that makes you feel warm and cozy inside. This Chicken Noodle Soup recipe does that for me. I make it frequently in the winter but I also make it in the summer too, especially on a rainy day. The ingredients are easy to put together, and the soup takes a few hours to simmer. It's all worth it. The end result with have you sighing with contentment :)

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 meaty chicken frame (I use leftovers from Rotissorie chickens we eat for dinner)
1 boneless chicken breast uncooked, if needed for extra meat
8 cups water
2 onions quartered
1 can chicken broth or 1 tblsp. instant chicken bouillion granules
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 tsps. dried oregano, basil, or thyme, crushed
3 cups any combination of sliced celery, carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, cabbage

In a large pot, place chicken frame, boneless chicken, water, onions, broth (or bouillion), garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove chicken frame and cool. Remove meat from bones and discard bones.
Cut up boneless chicken breast to bite size pieces. Add to meat from frame.

Strain broth, discarding solids. Return broth to pot. Stir in undrained tomatoes, spice, chicken meat, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir in vegetables. Return to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Spoon over noodles. Serve with warm, buttered bread.

I usually use regular no yolk egg noodles for this dish but since my son is on a special diet and can't eat gluten, I used rice noodles from the "ethnic" section of the grocery store. They were very good and worked out well.

“To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup.”
-Laurie Colwin

"Beautiful soup, so rich and green
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup! Beautiful soup!
Who cares for fishGame, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth of beautiful soup?"
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

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