Monday, February 15, 2010

Souped-up...

When I think of good chicken soup, I imagine making the stock from chicken bones from last night's roast, carrots, celery and onion. It would simmer on the stove all day until a golden broth was created. I have done this a few times and the idea of it is very charming but to tell you the truth, I don't really have the time these days.

Sometimes I will make a "Cliffs Notes" version of homemade chicken soup. I use a store-bought organic chicken broth. I roast boneless and skinless chicken breasts, keeping the soup very low fat. As far as veggies go, I like carrots in mine but you can add whatever you prefer. My kids love the noodles so I tend to add a lot. You can always make less of course. The whole process takes about a half hour.
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
  • 1 small onion or large shallot 
  • 2 small bay leaves or 1 large
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 5 cups of organic low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 small carrots or 2 large, cut into 1/2 inch bite-size pieces
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups of small pasta (small shells, orzo, elbow macaroni, etc.)
  • 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, rinsed in cold water and dried well with paper towels
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil over them and rub with your fingers to evenly coat. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper on top of each breast. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
Add onion, bay leaves and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

When the oven reaches 400 degrees, put the chicken in and cook for 20 minutes.

Add the broth and carrots to the pot. When it comes to a boil, turn down heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Next add the pasta and cook for as many minutes as the package recommends for al dente. The small shells I used took 7 minutes.
When the chicken is done, let it rest for at least 5 minutes outside of the oven before handling it. Then cut into cubes, whatever size you prefer. I like mine on the larger side. Put the chicken, juices and all, into the soup pot and cook everything for 1 minute more (or longer if your chicken still looks pink in the center). Turn off the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Start with no more than 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and build from there if necessary. Serve hot.

2 comments:

  1. I'm going to try this... I swear I can almost taste it through tthe computer! Mmmmmm...

    ReplyDelete