Chicken Noodle Soup

Jessica Raytselsky's photo

Chicken noodle soup is one of my favorite things to make. Chicken noodle soup is a favorite for almost every person I know because chicken noodle soup has those homemade qualities that remind you of home no matter where you are. Chicken noodle soup even made it in SAVEUR's Hearty Fall Soups in 2010. Upscale magazines, even have chicken noodle soup featured in them and it beats out all those fancy soups.

If there is one food, you could learn to make, this one is the one, you should learn because almost everyone enjoys it.  Chicken noodle soup appears hard to make, but it is very simple to make.

Chicken noodle soup was one of the first foods I learned to make. My dad taught me how to make it for the first time when I was a young teenager.

 If all this doesn't make you want to learn how to make chicken noodle soup then this will get your attention. There is an old wives tale about chicken noodle soup that claims that chicken noodle soup is a cold remedy. According to the New York Times The Science of Chicken Soup by Tara Parker Pope this old wives tale has some truth to it a scientist by the name of Dr. Reynard conducted a study to prove this."Dr. Reynard theorizes that by inhibiting the migration of these infection-fighting cells in the body, chicken soup essentially helps reduce upper respiratory cold symptoms."(Tara Parker Pope) Chicken noodle soup has its health benefits and makes you feel better when you are sick, it reminds you of home and is very simple to make but can look sophisticated when you serve it to your friends and families.            

Here is my chicken noodle soup recipe:

Yields about 4 or 5 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots, 1 chopped fine and 1 chopped into 4 pieces
• 2 celery sticks, 1 chopped fine and 1 chopped into 4 or 5 pieces
• 1 onion, halved and peeled, 1 chopped finely and the other half through the whole half in
• A couple cloves of garlic, whole
• About 4 legs of chicken or breasts or whichever part of the chicken is your favorite.
• A pinch of salt and pepper to your liking
• Enough water to cover all the ingredients
• 1 teaspoon of bouillon cubes (optional it just adds extra flavor)
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Put the 4 or 5 pieces of chicken, both pieces of carrots, both pieces of celery and onion in a large soup pot and cover with cold water. Heat brings to a slow boil and then let simmer (skim off foam every so often).
2. Boil a pot of a cup of pasta, preferably egg noodle pasta.
3. Add salt, pepper and bay leaf a little at a time to allow flavors to develop.
4. Once the soup is almost done. You can tell when all the veggies are soft and the chicken is and gray and falling off the bone. Take out the bay leaf the whole half of the onion, the big pieces of carrot and onion and add the pasta to the pot and mix together.
5. Let cool and then serve.

Jessica Raytselsky's photo

In conclusion,  everyone should make chicken soup because it is a favorite amongst everyone, its a classic and is very simple to make. It's the one thing that everyone should know how to make. It's an easy soup to teach your kids or your boyfriend/girlfriend or anyone for that matter.

What's your favorite memory of chicken noodle soup?