Comfort Food-Chicken Noodle Soup....Best Ever!

 

As I am sharing recipes I want to emphasize that I am NOT anywhere near a gourmet cook or an expert on food...by any means.  But, my point in these posts is that if I can do it....ANYONE can.  I never thought I would love a Sunday afternoon chopping vegetables and making soup.  Now, I love it, especially in the winter when there's nothing to do outside.  Put on the "Food Network" and spend some quality time making comfort food.

 

I just love comfort food.  And one of my favorites is Ray’s Chicken Noodle Soup.  It is loaded with chicken, vegetables and noodles!  He, of course, made it in a HUGE pot and separated it out (after it cooled) into smaller containers and froze them.  Then, whenever we had the crave, or just didn’t know what to make for dinner (or didn’t feel like making dinner) we would pull one out, and heat it up.  This recipe is for a HUGE pot of soup.  If you want to just make it for one dinner, I would make it about 1/4 the ingredients.  But who would want to do that?

 

Here is Ray's Recipe...and trust me, it is delicious!

 

3 lb Carrots

1 large celery stalk

6-8 Medium size onions

4-6 garlic cloves

2 whole chickens (washed)

2 Bay leaves

2 Bags thick egg noodles

3 Tablespoons Basil

2 teaspoons Thyme

5 Tablespoons Parsley

2 teaspoons pepper

4 Tablespoons chicken base

Boil chickens in large stock pot for about one hour until it is tender enough to easily pull away from the bones. Using slotted spoon, remove scum from top of boiling water until broth is clear. 

While chickens are boiling, clean all vegetables and chop to desired size. Garlic should be chopped very fine.

Remove chicken from the broth when it is done and allow to cool.

Add all vegetables to the broth and cook until done - make sure there is a firmness to the vegetables, it should not be mushy. Again, using a slotted spoon, remove scum from top of boiling water.

Boil noodles until el-Dante and rinse well. Set aside.

Pick chicken off bone and discard skin and bones. Chop coarsely.

Add spices and chicken base to the cooked vegetables and broth and let simmer one hour.

Add chicken and let simmer one-half hour more.

Add noodles.

 

A couple tips.  When you put the containers in the freezer, be sure to label them with the name of the item and date.  Trust me, I always thought I would remember and then a few months later I go in the freezer and think “what is this and when did I make it?”

 

Also, you can make the soup with the noodles in it and freeze it or don’t add the noodles to the soup and add fresh ones with each batch you thaw and heat up.