Chicken Noodle Soup

The temperature finally dropped and it appears fall is here to stay. With lower temperatures comes the official start of soup season. This recipe was born last fall in my mom’s kitchen. Sick of bland and flavorless chicken noodle soups, we set out to create our very own. I can honestly say this is my all time favorite chicken noodle soup. I’ve received countless compliments and recipe requests for this one.

The most important step in this recipe is generously seasoning the chicken with Lawry’s and Nature’s seasons seasoning salt (I swear it makes all the difference - don’t bother trying to substitute these two ingredients) and baking the chicken completely submerged in chicken broth. The seasoned broth the chicken was baked in is then strained and added to the soup.

I suggest enjoying this soup with some crusty bread. If you’re a fiend for salty + sweet combos like me, try adding a sprinkle of golden raisins to your bowl (you really have to trust me on this one).

ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, diced

6 medium sized carrots, sliced

6 celery stalks, sliced

5 (32 oz.) containers chicken broth or stock

8 oz. egg noodles

1 tbs olive oil

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp thyme

Simply Organic All-Seasons Salt (can be substituted with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt)

salt & pepper

directions:

Preheat oven to 375°

In a large pot or stockpot, combine olive oil, carrots, onion and celery. Sauté until carrots are softened and onions are translucent. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

Add bay leaves, thyme and 4-32 oz. containers of chicken broth to the veggies and bring to a simmer.

In the meantime, place chicken breasts in a deep baking dish (9x13 or larger). Generously season each breast with all-seasons salt on both sides. Using the remaining 32 oz. container of chicken broth, add broth to the baking dish until each breast is completely submerged (approximately 32 oz. or less). Place baking dish in the oven and bake until chicken is fully cooked (approximately 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken).

Remove from oven. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the baking dish broth into the pot of simmering veggies and broth.

Shred chicken breasts and add to the simmering pot of veggies and broth. Simmer until veggies are at your desired softness.

Bring soup to a boil and add egg noodles. Continue to boil until noodles are fully cooked. Cool slightly and enjoy a hot bowl of soup!

recipe notes:

This recipe makes a lot of soup! If you don’t want to eat chicken noodle soup for 7 days in a row, I suggest freezing some to save for those cold fall/winter nights or when you’re feeling a bit under the weather. You can also easily cut the ingredients in half for a smaller batch.