Chicken Noodle Soup
There is nothing like soup on a cold, winter night. This soup has homemade noodles that are easy to make. The vegetables combine to create deep, hearty flavors. You will love the smell of this soup in your house. It has chunks of chicken, lots of vegetables and those noodles, to die for. My kids always want more noodles. This soup definitely has a chicken and dumplings vibe!
My nephew, Allen, has been asking me to post this recipe for a long time.
How to Make
Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup
1. Cook your chicken. Put your chicken in a pot with about 1 cup of water. Salt it quite heavily and get it boiling. Put the lid on and turn the temperature down until the water is simmering. Cook for 20 minutes with the lid on. Leave in the pan until you are ready to shred and add to your soup.
2. Cook the egg noodles. If you want homemade noodles, look for the instructions further down.*
2. Cut up onions, carrots and celery. I used a knife and a cutting board for years before I started using my food processor. Now, I put the vegetables in separately and pulse until I get the consistency I want.
3. Put the vegetables in a large pot with the butter. Cook until they are soft, stirring occasionally.
4. Get your liquids prepared. If you are a chicken broth user, this recipe will be a snap. I like using chicken bouillon. It is so much cheaper to use. One cube of bouillon to every cup of water. I use very hot water from the tap and drop in four cubes to start melting as the vegetables are cooking. I stick my knife into each cube to break it up. Breaking up the cubes makes them dissolve quicker, incorporating your chicken broth into the soup easier. Measure out your milk and have it ready to pour in. Open the can of Cream of Chicken Soup.
5. Sprinkle in the 1/2 C. of flour to your vegetables. Stir this until the flour cooks, about 3 minutes.
6. Pour in the chicken broth while stirring. You will notice the soup becomes very thick. Add your milk and keep stirring.** Add the cream of chicken soup. If you get to the end, and you feel the soup is too thick, add 2-4 cups of water. The soup needs to have some liquid if you are adding homemade noodles. It will thicken after you add them. I happen to like my soup thick and hearty.
7. Chop up your cooked chicken. Add chicken and noodles* to the soup. Add the peas and let it simmer for 10 minutes. You are ready to eat.
Chicken Noodle Soup
1 C. Onion
1 C. Carrots
1 C. Celery
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Flour
4 C. Chicken Broth
2 C. Milk
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
2 C. Chicken
1/2 Bag Frozen Peas
2 C. Egg Noodles (Optional)
1. Cook the chicken.
3. Chop the vegetables.
4. Sauté the vegetables in a pot with butter.
5. Add flour and stir until flour cooks.
6. Add chicken broth, milk and added water if needed.
7. Add the cream of chicken soup.
8. Add chicken and get boiling again and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. While soup is simmering, make noodles.
Homemade Noodles:
2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
5 Tbsp. Milk
*Noodle Instructions
1. Put flour and salt into the food processor or in a bowl.
2. Mix eggs and milk with a fork in a small bowl. Add the egg mixture, a tablespoon at a time, to the dry ingredients until all the egg mixture is gone.
3. The dough should be sticking together. If not, add another tablespoon of milk.
4. Take out the dough with your hands and smash it together until it forms a ball.
5. Cut the dough in half and roll it out as thin as you can. Then use a pizza cutter and cut the dough into noodle size strips. Cut the strips into 2 inch pieces. do this again with the second half of the dough ball.
6. Drop these noodles right into the soup. They only need to cook for about 4 minutes before they are ready to eat.
My family's favorite part is the homemade noodles. They take a little more time, but they are the rockstar of this soup. I seriously cannot make too many homemade noodles.
Story about my onion hater, Mark!
I have a 13 year old onion hater. He maintains he doesn't like onions, just like his Granddad. You will never convince me that either of these boys really hate onions. It is a texture issue. The crunch when they bite down on the onion, is what so many people hate.
The truth is "Onions are the work horse of any good kitchen!" (You must say this in a very thick Julia Child accent.) To solve the onion problem, simply chop them very small in a food processor or some other wonderful chopping machine. If you like onions and you don't mind the crunch, by all means chop away with your lovely knife.
**You just made a roux. All my life, my mom made a white sauce mixing equal parts flour and butter and then adding milk. I had no idea this was a roux, until my neighbor told me what a roux was.
