Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is such a classic and what tastes better when you are sick?!? I love having some of this when I am feeling under the weather, but usually there isn't any around when I am sick! The downfall of it all is that when I am sick I do not feel like making it either. I make my chicken noodle soup completely from scratch... well sometimes I cheat and use some canned chicken broth. I am a chicken noodle soup snob now. It is hard to eat anything besides homemade chicken noodle soup... that doesn't mean I do not ever eat canned soup when I'm sick. However, when I'm sick I can claim non-working taste buds (that's my story anyway.)

My mom made this recipe (or close thereto) when I was growing up so it also had a nostalgia. Some of the soup that I made on October 1st I took out when we visited my grandmother at the rehabilitation center. She was glad to have some - she loved my mom's chicken noodle soup as well. While I was talking with her she told me that since I made the soup she was going to tell my mom that my soup tasted better than hers. That is just the sort of person my grandmother was, she had a great sense of humor.

Chicken Noodle Soup

To start, make noodles. This step I always forget until I add the veggies to the soup to cook... and it still turns out well, but noodles are best if they dry out before you cook them.

To make the noodles:

To 1 beaten egg, add 1 Tbsp water, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1 cup flour until well mixed. Place dough on a floured surface, knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let rest for 10-20 minutes.

While dough is resting, boil chicken in a large pan in 6-8 cups water/chicken broth (I like to use a whole chicken, but you can use any parts of the chicken that you want to use - you'll just want to have enough meat on the chicken pieces to total about 1.5 cups chopped chicken.)Divide dough in half, on a floured surface, roll half of dough until 1/8-1/16 inch thick. Dust with flour, roll as you would cinnamon rolls. Cut into 1/8-1/4-inch strips. Shake to separate strips. Cut strips to desired length. Repeat with other half of dough. Lay strips out to dry.

While noodles dry, remove chicken from pan and let cool enough to cut up. While chicken is cooling, add 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion, 1-1/2 cup sliced carrots, 1 cup sliced celery to the broth and allow to boil.

Cut cooled (cooled as much or as little as you like to be able to handle) chicken into bite sized pieces. Add to pan. Once the carrots are tender add noodles,.

Stir well.

Bring to a boil.

Cook for at least 5 minutes to allow noodles to cook.

Serve with Saltines or rolls. Take some to a friend/relative who is sick and they'll love you forever, or at least while they're eating it!Enjoy!

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