Chicken Noodle Soup

Whenever I am asked what my favorite meal is I am stumped. For a person who loves to cook you’d think this is an easy question! On reflection, it turns out that it is not so much about the food as it is the people I am sharing it with.

I love to eat a burger and sweet potato fries at Vertigo when I am out with my girlfriends;

I love to eat small plates at Sweet Grass Dairy or Liam’s when I am out with my daughter because it reminds us of a trip to Spain;

I love to eat Mexican at El Jalisco and Moe’s and Korean barbecue with my sons because they love spicy stuff and it reminds me of our trip to Guam;

I love to eat fancy stuff at Sage when I am out with my husband;

I love to eat our “same old” Thanksgiving feast at my brothers house every year because it is delicious and special every year;

I love to eat our “same old” Christmas Eve feast in our house every year because it is delicious and special every year;

I love it all from fast food to fancy food because it is all good and I know that I am abundantly blessed!

More than anything I love to eat with love and laughter around a table, whether it is set with fine china, paper plates, or mismatched pieces.

If you ask anyone in my family what is their favorite thing I make, it is absolutely this chicken noodle soup. It is what is requested when they are happy, when they are sad, and when they aren’t feeling well. It is their ‘welcome-home’ meal and their movie watching meal. Soup is undeniably my favorite food group because it is always so comforting, good for you, and warms you inside and out. This soup is a family “go-to” meal for all occasions.

It is so simple that I am almost embarrassed to share the recipe but I will.

Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 whole chickens

• 2 to 4-23 ounce cans of cream of chicken soup (I like Campbells)

• 1 cup finely chopped onions

• 2 cups sliced carrots

• 2 cups sliced celery

• 1 stick of butter

• Up to 2 cups of whole milk

• 1 tablespoon roasted garlic

• 1 cup super thin fresh mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 box farfalle, bowtie noodles, cooked and drained

1. Place the chickens in a large pot and cover with water. I have a huge stockpot that I use for this part. A stockpot is a very tall pot that is typically taller than it is wide.

2. Bring the chickens and water to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook for about 90 minutes, partially covered. After 90 minutes, turn off the burner, cover the pot completely and allow it to rest for about an hour.

3. After an hour, remove the chickens to another dish and allow to cool. Strain the broth in the stockpot. Rinse the stockpot and return the broth to the stockpot.

4. Return the stockpot of stock to the stove and turn the burner on medium low heat.

5. Open two cans of the cream of chicken soup and add to the stock, using a whisk to remove any lumps and make a smooth broth. Add as many of the additional cans of soup as you like. The more canned soup you add the creamier and thicker it will become.

6. In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and celery on medium heat until they are soft but not mushy. Add all of this to the soup pot and continue cooking the soup on medium low heat.

7. Pick the chicken from the bones and tear or chop into whatever size pieces you like. Add this to the soup pot and continue cooking to blend all the flavors.

8. Turn the heat down to simmer and add the whole stick of butter and up to two cups of milk, depending on how thick you want the soup. I add all two cups and sometimes about a cup of whole cream.

9. Simmer the soup, taste for salt and pepper.

10. Place a few cooked noodles in the bottom of a bowl and ladle the soup on top.

Remember that even though you are adding a whole stick of butter, whole milk, and possibly cream, you aren’t going to eat this whole pot of soup because it makes about 15-18 servings. Real food, like butter and milk, in moderation, is better for you than processed food :-)

Whatever your family comfort food is I hope you will make it often and share the joy too!