April Showers make me want to curl up in our cozy house with a hot bowl of comforting chicken noodle soup, especially since the aroma of chicken will likely lure at least one of our cats over to beg for a morsel. I’ll be honest, I used to be content to opening up a can of Campbell’s (the one with the star shapes was my favorite), but after making your own chicken soup, you can never really go back. This is the perfect recipe to use up random chicken parts – wings are great for both rendering the stock and shredding up to eat since they have a good bone-to-meat ratio, but you can also use a chicken carcass (perhaps after butchering your own chicken – my latest “thing”) paired with more meaty parts. I’ve even been known to muster up the effort to prepare this soup for myself while out sick, it’s that easy. Leftovers freeze well for a rainy day, but this small-batch recipe will serve about 4.
Chicken Noodle Soup (made even more fun with Hello Kitty shaped macaroni!)
Ingredients:
1 lb bone-in chicken (I used 10 wings)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 carrots, diced or sliced
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
5-6 cups of water
Dried bay leaves
Dried thyme
Salt & pepper
1 1-lb box of pasta, any shape
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and set aside. Start prepping your vegetables.
Sizzle sizzle!
In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the garlic until just barely browned. Add the chicken and sear on all sides.
Veg-tastic!
Toss in the onions and let them sweat a bit, just a few minutes. Add in the rest of the vegetables and pour in the water. Bring to a boil.
Mmm soup..
Add in the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam that may form.
Cook according to package instructions, and what a cute package it is!
As the broth is simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse and set aside.
Ta-da! Soup is ready.
When ready to serve, spoon some pasta into a bowl and ladle the soup over it. If you’re packing up leftovers, it is best to store the noodles separately from the broth, otherwise the pasta will absorb extra liquid and turn to mush.
For the days when you feel under the weather, we hope this chicken noodle soup brings some comfort and smiles :]
I’ve been known to make chicken noodle soup for myself when sick too. I feel like the reward is worth getting up for. Your Hello Kitty pasta is very sweet. I’ve never seen them before, but I can’t say I’m surprised :)
I usually like rice noodles with my soup. That’s what my mother used when she made “sick soup” for us so I find it extra comforting.
Yum, chicken soup with rice noodles sounds delicious as well! Comfort food just like Mom made is so perfect for when we’re sick :3