I may be biased, but my mom makes some of the best chicken noodle soup on the planet. I have fond memories of "soup night" in our house. I can't remember ever not having a second bowl. There was never a written recipe for my mom's soup. It was actually passed down to me over the phone one afternoon when I called her up and said, "Mom, I want to make your soup," and she walked me through it. Over the years, her chicken noodle soup has become my own. I've made some changes and some additions, but it's still mom's darn good soup at its heart.
I've been sick for nearly a week now with no end in sight, so a hearty bowl of chicken noodle soup is very much in order. Normally, I boil a whole chicken in chicken stock to start off, but in my freezer today were frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I also had a gallon of chicken stock I made a while back. You can use this type of chicken breast as well, but if you can, boil a regular chicken (whole or in parts) in a gallon of water or chicken stock until it's just cooked through. Remove the chicken with a pair of tongs, then strain the liquid into a large bowl and use this as the base of your soup. The chicken is shredded and added at the end, as described in the recipe below.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
olive oil
1 large red or yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, tops included, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
a tablespoon of your favorite herb blend (my mom uses "Italian seasoning," I like Herbs de Provence)
a tablespoon of minced ginger (confession: I usually use the stuff in the tube)
10-12 cups of chicken stock
1 cup orzo or other small pasta
1/8 to 1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups shredded chicken
2 big handfuls of arugula or baby spinach
cayenne pepper
sea or kosher salt
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, add a glug or two of olive oil, all of your diced veggies, and a big pinch of salt. Saute for 10 minutes or so, letting the veggies soften a bit. Add your herb blend and ginger. Cook for another minute.
Pour in the chicken stock, starting off with about 10 cups. You can add more in later if you want a more brothy soup. Add another big pinch of salt. Allow this to come to a boil, then add the orzo. Bring to another boil, then simmer for about 9 minutes (check the cooking time on your pasta - your cooking time may be more or less. You want to let the pasta simmer for about 2 minutes less than stated).
Add the lemon juice, shredded chicken, and greens to the pot. Add a dash of cayenne or more (start small....it gets hot fast). Taste and add more salt, lemon, or cayenne if needed.
Serve steaming hot in a big bowl with crackers or shredded cheese. If you have a horrible head cold like I do, the combination of ginger, lemon, and cayenne in the broth is heavenly.
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