Chicken Noodle Soup!

Well, yesterday was  March 11 (my brother’s birthday…Happy Birthday Ty!) and it was SNOWING. Yes, white stuff falling from the sky Saturday morning in the middle of March in Tennessee!  It was 75 degrees two days ago and I had planned to mow the lawn over the  weekend but we woke up to our tulips peeking out from under a blanket of slushy snow and the daffodils that came out early having seconds thoughts.

Sunday is Souper Sunday at church so what better dish to prepare on these cold, blustery days than Chicken Noodle Soup!  Ahh, the savory aroma of tarragon- and thyme-spiced chicken broth boiling on the stove, then adding the veggies and thick noodles as the anticipation of enjoying a big steaming bowl of wonderfulness builds up…Chicken Noodle Soup!  Sit by the roaring fireplace and watch outside as the Winter Wonderland returns during springtime.

Chicken Noodle Soup for the SOUL.  A nice bowl of soup always seems to make a sick person feel better, a wintry day feel a little warmer and even soothe the spirit, bringing back memories of Mom’s special recipe, a little dash of this spice and that spice, combined with big chunks of chicken and carrots and celery and noodles…Our daughter said she would have a cold any day as long as she could have the this chicken noodle soup!

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 2 hrs
• Difficulty: moderate
• Print

2-3 large skin-on chicken breasts

9 cups chicken broth (homemade or store bought)

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped

3 stalks of celery chopped

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 tsp tarragon

1-2 sprigs fresh thyme (2 tsp dried thyme can be substituted)

1 tsp dried parsley

1 bay leaf

1 package kluski or other egg noodles uncooked

1 lemon

Salt & pepper

Bring chicken, broth, garlic, and onion to a boil.  Cook over low/medium heat until chicken is tender, 30-40 minutes.  Remove chicken, cool.  When chicken is cool, remove skin and bones.  Chop or pull into bitesize pieces.  Strain garlic and onions from broth, discard vegetables.  (I like to do this step the day before making the soup so I can refrigerate the broth and skim fat off the top.  The chicken is also easier to pull when cold)  Bring broth back to a boil.  Add in carrots, celery, tarragon, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf.  Simmer 45 minutes.  Add uncooked noodles.  Simmer until noodles are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add chicken to soup.  Stir in juice of one lemon and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove bay leaf before serving.