MONDAY RECIPE POST - CHICKEN EGG NOODLE SOUP

Yesterday (December 10th), it was a rainy day here in our part of Virginia. I had a soup on my list for such a day. It was delicious so thank you Elizabeth, host of Cook2EatWell. You can find the original recipe here. It is a great soup, has a wonderful flavor, and a ten out of ten!  Please visit to see all the notes and helpful tips for this recipe.  Other great recipes on here also.

Chicken Egg Noodle Soup

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 6 - Calories: approximately 261calories per serving.

 

1 pound chicken breasts (2 pieces) skinless, boneless and trimmed of any fat

8 cups chicken broth divided (2 cups to poach the chicken, plus 6 cups for the soup)

Pinch of salt

4 thyme sprigs divided (2 for the poached chicken and 2 for the soup)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, finely diced

2 carrots, sliced into rounds (about 1 cup)

1 celery rib, sliced or diced

2 garlic cloves minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 ounces egg noodles

Poach the Chicken:

Place the chicken in a medium saucepan large enough so that they fit side by side without overlapping. Cover the chicken with 2 cups chicken broth, add 2 thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt.

Start the chicken on high heat and bring the broth to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and cover.

Gently simmer the chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked (165°F at the thickest part).

Remove the chicken breast from the poaching liquid and set it on a cutting board to cool.

Don’t discard the chicken broth; we are going to use it for the soup. Strain it using a fine mesh strainer and reserve it for the soup.

When the chicken has cooled enough to handle shred it using two forks, or your hands.

Make the Soup

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot and the butter has melted, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute, stirring almost constantly.

Add the flour to the pot and stir well until it’s incorporated. Cook the mixture for 1-2 minutes. Stir almost constantly.

Slowly add in the reserved poaching liquid and the 6 cups of chicken broth. Stir constantly until the ingredients are combined and the flour mixture is dissolved in the broth.

Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the broth to a boil.

Add the shredded chicken and the remaining thyme sprigs to the pot. Stir well.

Lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook the soup for 20 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally and keep it at a simmer; if it starts boiling too vigorously lower the heat a bit.

While the soup simmers cook the egg noodles to package directions in a separate pot. Use the lowest recommended cooking time. We don’t want to overcook them.

Drain the egg noodles well and set aside until the soup is ready

 

Finish the soup:

Remove the thyme stems from the pot. Use tongs to fish them out and discard.

Add the cooked noodles to the soup and stir well. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the soup sit for a few minutes before serving.

Taste the soup and add salt if needed.

Elizabeth's Notes:

Cook the egg noodles in a separate pot, not in the soup. If we add the uncooked noodles to the soup, they will soak up most of the broth as they cook.

Don’t add salt to the soup until the end because packaged chicken broth contains a good amount already.  (Denise’s note: I always use low-sodium chicken broth.)

It was a great soup and I didn't make any changes.  I made cornbread to go with it.

Added note: we have leftovers for at least two meals each. The next bowl will have had a chance for the flavors to develop even more. They will be very welcome as there is a dusting of snow on the ground today.   

I also like to freeze meals for another day. I found this website with some great tips on freezing.  There are also links to more chicken soup recipes.