Our little family here at Bashful Bao hopes that you had a lovely Christmas (if you celebrate it)! I am thoroughly enjoying typing this post in my pajamas on the couch with a little bunny body snuggled up next to me, as my winter break continues.
And I intend to milk it for all it’s worth. By that I mean I want to relax mindfully (not sleeping in past 8) and use my free time to do the things I enjoy. Back in the kitchen we go!
During this vacation, it’s my goal to make some quality meals we can freeze and enjoy later, when cooking after a long day at work is the last thing on my mind and telling Luke to eat frozen meals while I cobble together a dinner of hummus, cheese and crackers has gotten old. And it gets old real fast.
So does canned soup, another of my tired dinner back-ups. But fresh soup, on the other hand, is something I’d eat practically every day, if the fact that I have two palates to consider didn’t hold me back.
And what is better than homemade chicken noodle soup? Don’t say a million dollars, it’s a rhetorical question people. Freshly made chicken stock, veggies, egg noodles, fresh white meat chicken and homey spices, waiting to make your chilly winter night melt away with just one bite. Do yourself a favor, if you’ve never made homemade soup before, give this recipe a try. It may seem like a daunting process, but the end result is absolutely amazing.
One Year Ago: Mini Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
- 8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dill
- 1 large carrot, peeled diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced (optional, I used them instead of celery)
- 1 cup dried egg noodles
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- The day before I made the soup, I roasted a whole chicken at 325 degrees for about an hour, and after stripping the meat, I placed the bones in a large stockpot along with vegetable scraps and covered them with water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let simmer for 4 hours, then strain out the bones and vegetable matter. You can use the stock immediately for the soup, but I like to let it cool so I can strain off the congealed fat. This method will give you more than enough stock for the soup, as well as fresh meat.
- Whether you wait a day, or continue right after making the stock, measure out 8 cups, and bring it to a simmer in a medium stockpot.
- Add diced vegetables and simmer them until the carrots are firm-tender, about 5 minutes. Add dried noodles and cook them according to package directions, usually 6 to 9 minutes. While these simmer, I added little salt, pepper and dill.
- Once noodles have cooked, add the chicken and let cook just until they have rewarmed through (time will depend on whether you are using your chicken immediately or refrigerated it overnight, 30 seconds to 2 mins) and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and enjoy!
- You can freeze the soup if desired (I did), but upon rewarming, the egg noodles were a little gummy. The soup was still delicious though!
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
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