There’s something about cold weather that makes me want a warm, full belly and food that I can eat with a spoon our sip from a mug. Hot chocolate, chicken pot pie, chili, and mashed potatoes go into heavy rotation when the temperature dips below 55. And so does soup. I can be wide awake but halfway through a steamy bowl (or mug!) of soup, I’ll develop an immediate need to put on a pair of fur-lined Christmas socks, grab a blanket, and take a nap. It’s the tastiest sleep medication ever.

We didn’t have to fly to Colorado to see a perfect snow fall this year. We only had to look out the window. It almost never snows here in Houston. I say “almost never” because it snowed one day last December – and just in time for us to snap a picture of our temporarily-blanketed mailbox and order photo Christmas cards. And 3 or 4 years ago, we got snow flurries on Christmas Eve. White Christmas? Probably not by your standards, but I’ll take it!

I scored an HEB Mesquite Roasted chicken for under $4 – coupons rock – and followed recommendations to increase the simmer time and decrease the onion. Delicious, satisfying, and it even freezes well which is great because it needs to. We ended up with about 10 bowls of soup which meant I didn’t have to cook lunch all week 🙂

Print

Chicken Noodle Soup

The ultimate comfort food: homemade chicken noodle soup.

Ingredients

• 8 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups water
• 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• 2 large stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 3 cups egg noodles
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring broth and water to a simmer over medium-high heat in a large pot.
2. Debone the chicken and separate the meat from the skin and bones. Set the meat aside and add the skin and bones to the simmering broth.
3. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer for an hour.
4. Strain broth through a colander into a large bowl; reserve broth and discard skin and bones.
5. Set the pot over medium-high heat and add the oil.
6. When hot, saute the onions, carrots, and celery until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add chicken, broth and thyme. Bring to a simmer.
7. Add the egg noodles and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in parsley, reserving some for garnish, and remove from heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
8. To freeze: You can freeze with or without the noodles. To freeze with the noodles, cool the finished soup and transfer to quart-size freezer bags and reheat on the stovetop. To freeze without the noodles, cool the soup and transfer to quart-size freezer bags. Reheat the soup on the stove top, adding about 1/3 cup uncooked egg noodles per reheated serving. Simmer for 20 minutes and serve.

Notes

Yields: 10 servings

Adapted from AllRecipes

Estimated time: 1 hour 45 minutes