RECIPE: Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

You know those cold months when you're just aching for some yummy homemade soup....
THIS.  This is the answer my friends!
It's quite possibly the easiest homemade soup to make.  And it tastes way better than anything from a can.

In fact, I should be making this twice a month.
You should too.
So let's just declare it outloud---Chicken Noodle Soup every Tuesday night!

The thing I love about this recipe is that it comes together quickly and uses simple ingredients.  And everything is measured in single cups---because I love things that measure easily.  So it's 4 cups of this, 2 cups of that....all in one pot of deliciousness.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

8 cups of Chicken Stock (Two 32 oz boxes)
4 cups of noodles (from a 16 oz bag)
3 cups of diced veggies (celery, carrots, onions)
2 cups of diced chicken
1 cup of water

• Start by peeling and dicing the veggies into bite size pieces.  You'll need about 3-4 carrots, 3 celery stalks, and one onion---just dice them enough so that you have 3 cups total.  I say 3 cups because you can choose how much of each veggie you prefer.  I love carrots more than onions, so I do about 1 1/2 cups of carrots, 1 cup of celery, and a 1/2 cup of onions.  Do what sounds good to you.
• Prep and dice the chicken.  I typically buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store or Costco and dice (or shred) it into chunks.  You can also boil or bake a few chicken breasts and use that.  But this soup is great when you can use left-over chicken you have in the fridge.  

Now let's cook....

• In a large pot, melt 1-2 Tbl of butter and sautee the veggies for a few minutes, stirring periodically.
Now this step isn't totally necessary---it mostly adds some extra flavor bits to the bottom of the pot.  So, you can always just throw the veggies into the pot in the next step instead.
But I will say....when you want to eat chicken noodle soup for dinner, you want those delicious smells to infuse your house as soon as possible, which is exactly what this step does.  Mmmmm.
• Add the chicken stock and water to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Add the 4 cups of noodles and 2 cups of diced chicken to the pot and cook about 8-10 minutes until the noodles are done.  Most chicken soup recipes call for egg noodles, which are great here.  Or get creative and use whatever noodles catch your interest.  
• When the noodles are done, salt and pepper the soup to taste.  Add any other seasonings you might like, such as fresh chopped parsley.

Ladle the soup into large bowls, serve with warm crusty bread,

And dinner is ready!