Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup – All the comfort of classic slowly cooked chicken noodle soup in about 30 minutes.Last week a friend of mine took a minor tumble and broke her ankle.  She’s undergone surgery and is now in the recovery phase.  Friends arranged to bring food over to keep her off her feet.  I was assigned Wednesday. When I called her to see how she was going and make arrangements for dinner, I learned she had the flu. She requested soup.

No problem, I always have everything needed for a pot of CNS on hand, at all times.

Except today.

No egg noodles.

Out of celery.

Now the store isn’t all that far but I was not fit for public viewing, I was in the middle of testing another recipe, and if I am to be perfectly frank, I loved the game of ‘can I make it work?’

Being about of egg noodles wasn’t that big of a deal. I have made CNS plenty of times with all other types of pasta and I happened to have had a bag of large elbows.  I thought those would be fun. It was the celery that was holding me up. I honestly am ashamed I have none in the house, it’s as close a sin as it gets in my kitchen.

But I moved on and all was well. I started by adding some bacon fat to my casserole pot. I normally use olive oil when sautéing but my late grandma taught me that when you’re sick, you need fat.  I am not a doctor to know if this is true or not, but I sure as heck am not going to question it.

I mentioned I was working on another recipe, so I just happened to have just still warm bacon renderings.  I added that, heated it, and tossed in my onions and carrots.  Once they cooked for a couple of minutes, I added the mushrooms and really let everything cook, building up some fond on the bottom, (you know, those stuck on bits).  Once the veggies were near cooked, I added the raw chicken and herbs and let every mingle together in the pot.

Once the chicken starting to get some color on it, I added the pasta and the liquid, tasted for seasoning, brought it to a boil and violá, done-or in a few minutes anyway.

Confession: I was so in love with the broth that I had to add more liquid and seasonings after it was cooked to make it a soup again…I just couldn’t stop drinking it, it was that good. (Yes, I need help!)

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

Author: Michelle

Print

Ingredients

• 1 small onion; chopped
• 1 cup carrots; chopped
• 8 oz mushrooms; sliced
• 1 1/2 lbs chicken; cubed
• 2 1/2 cups noodles
• 10 cups liquid (chicken broth, water, some combination thereof)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/4 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp salt; to taste +/-
• 1/2 tsp black pepper +/-
• 2-3 tbsp fat (bacon fat, olive oil, butter)

Instructions

1. In a large casserole or pot, add the fat, sauté the onions and carrots for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat or until they begin to soften.
2. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken and seasonings.
4. Once the chicken has turned white and begins to get color, add the noodles.
5. Pour in the liquid (I used all chicken broth) and mix well. Bring to a simmer and taste the broth for seasoning and make any necessary adjustments.
6. Cook on a high simmer/low boil for about 10-12 minutes or until the noodles are al dente and the chicken is cooked through. The broth will reduce down.
7. Serve and enjoy.

Thank you for sharing!