Sunday Soup Day: Chicken Noodle

Last weekend I went the easy route - chicken noodle soup. I've had my fair share of chicken noodle soup in my life. I remember my first experience was when I was very young and my mom made condensed off-brand chicken noodle soup with the tiny chicken chunks and thin, rubbery noodles. It was basically a bowl of msg. When I was in college, I graduated to the Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle which had "real" vegetables. Then, after meeting Liz, she told me that the Progresso Chicken Noodle soup was actually better for me. Not only was it better for me, it tasted better, too. My taste for chicken noodle soup has evolved since I was young, so it probably comes as no surprise that I would put some thought and effort into making a chicken noodle soup that went to a whole new level.

Through my obsession with making soup over the past two years, I haven't made chicken noodle all too often. To be honest, I've always thought it was "too simple" for what I have aimed for. Plus, I have difficulty finding noodles that work the way I want them to without becoming soggy and over cooked. I had a couple of ideas that I knew would make it worth my time now, though.

I sauteed onion, carrots, celery, green pepper and garlic in extra virgin olive oil until the onions were translucent. The carrots, celery and pepper still had some crunch to them. I cut the vegetables into large pieces because I wanted it to be very "hearty." After about 10-15 minutes of cooking the veggies, I added a store-bought container of chicken stock and a carton of chicken broth (I buy the Trader Joe's chicken broth because it is msg-free) and let the soup cook on low for a while. I once read that you shouldn't let your soup boil because it loses a lot of the nutrients.

The two most important ingredients were next. The noodles that I chose were Kluski Home Style Noodles (made by an Amish family). I was determined not to overcook them. The idea that I had for the chicken was to purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, take off the skin and put all of the meat in the soup. It was the best idea.

The chicken had it's own salty flavor to it while the soup had a peppery taste (from the fresh ground pepper). The vegetables still had crunch to them and tasted like real vegetables. The noodles were done to perfection and somehow tied all the flavors together. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell you that this was the best chicken noodle soup that I ever had. It was so easy to prepare and the end result was outstanding. I'm definitely not above making chicken noodle soup in the future.