My Impromptu Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Today the sun was shining. It was in the 60's here in Winston-Salem, NC. The dogs stayed outside for a little over two hours. It was just SO NICE outside. So naturally, what did I want to make for dinner? Homemade chicken noodle soup. Yep. That's how I roll.

I don't understand why I had a hankering for chicken noodle soup, but the hubs and I bought the ingredients for it BEFORE the weather turned beautiful. Wednesday evenings, we're lucky if we don't get take out. I am EXHAUSTED on Wednesdays. I am a nanny for an 8 month little boy named Max and a 13 month little boy named Sully. I watch them 8-5 Wednesday/Thursday and 12-5 on Fridays. I also watch them 10-12:30 most Tuesdays. Since Wednesday is my first full work day, I am ready for bed by 8:30pm and dinner? Forget it. BUT ANYWAY! I decided to dig out my ingredients and experiment a bit with this soup, so it isn't a science. It's an art. (P.S. I like squishy veggies in my soup. If you do not, you want to shorten the cooking length of this soup by about half.)




Chicken Noodle Soup Off The Cuff

Ingredients:
3-4 Medium Carrots
2-3 Celery Stalks
16 oz Chicken Stock (I used Great Value brand.)(I didn't measure, so you may want more or less. I just made sure my veggies were covered.)
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (feel free to boil a whole chicken and use the stock)
1 Tbsp. Stick Butter
Minced Garlic
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Crushed Red Pepper
Salt
Pepper
Water
Large Bag of Egg Noodles

Preparation:
1. Wash all vegetables with warm water.
2. Peel carrots and cut off any undesirable areas.
3. Slice carrots and celery. (Bite size pieces.)
4. Cube chicken into bite size pieces.

Directions:
1. In a large pot, melt butter on medium heat.
2. Add celery and carrot pieces. Let simmer, stirring every so often for about 5-10 minutes.

3. Add 16ish ounces of chicken stock until veggies are barely covered. Let simmer for 10 or so minutes.
4. Add chicken.*

5. Add enough water to fully cover the mixture, but be sure not to add too much, as it will dilute the flavor.
6. Season with onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. (I did not measure any of these. I just added them in gradually throughout the cooking process. Be easy with the red pepper, unless you like things REALLY spicy.)
7. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium low, and let simmer/cook for 3-3.5 hours, checking on it and stirring occasionally.
8. About fifteen minutes before you're ready to serve, add the bag of egg noodles to the pot. Again, add just enough water to cover the mixture. Make sure to stir the noodles down and mix into the rest of the soup for optimal flavor and even cooking.

9.  Season to taste with mentioned seasonings.
10 Add crackers if you so desire and enjoy!

(I made these homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert.)

This is the first time I have ever made chicken noodle soup...other than what comes out of a can. :-) The hubs is a BIG fan. He isn't the type of man to tell me something is good if he really doesn't care for it, so I know it's a hit if he says so. Plus, he went to culinary school, so if HE says it's amazing, it must be, right?

Happy Cooking!

~A



*Adding raw meat to vegetables is a personal preference. Some people believe it isn't safe. However, you use chicken stock that raw chicken sat in, so what's the difference? My husband, who went to culinary school, says it is fine to add the raw chicken to the uncooked veggies. However, if you prefer, you can pre-cook the chicken in the microwave or if you boiled your chicken for your chicken stock, you're already good to go!