Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup...

Though I have been loving these cold, crisp days of winter, it seems like there are a lot of colds and sickness going around. Whenever I feel a cold coming on, one of my first thoughts is, "I'd better make a pot of chicken noodle soup." My mother, the RN, had a recurring mantra when we became ill as children, and even as adults...."force fluids". One of the best parts of chicken noodle soup is the broth, in my opinion.

Some believe there really is something almost medicinal about eating chicken soup when you have a cold. There have actually been studies done to try to determine what it is about chicken soup that helps cure a cold! If you are interested, you can read more about that in this article from the New York Times. Whether you believe in the medicinal qualities or not, a bowl of Chicken noodle soup is definitely a comfort food and tastes mighty good when you don't feel well. Most kids like it too since there aren't any real "weird" ingredients in it.

In my continuing saga of making the soup recipes from Life:Beautiful magazine, I decided to make their version of Chicken Noodle Soup. I have to admit their recipe stretched my cooking abilities a bit, because the recipe required you to make your own egg noodles! I had never made noodles before but hey, I'm all about embracing new things in this New Year, so I went for it. 

The instructions to make the egg noodles said to mix the dry ingredients together, put them on a clean work surface, and form a deep well in the center with your fist. The next step was to mix the egg yolks, oil, and water and pour that mixture into the "well" in the flour mixture. Well, I'm not sure what I did wrong but the egg mixture poured out over the top of my flour well and I had to scramble to contain it before it went all over the floor. What a mess! I wanted to take a picture but my hands were a sticky mess too! So, personally, if I make this recipe again, I will just mix the dough up in a bowl...just sayin! Here's the recipe:

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (from Life:Beautiful)

1 recipe Homemade Egg Noodles

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

12 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken*

1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

Prepare Homemade Egg Noodles, let dry. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in chicken stock and thyme. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Gently stir in Homemade Egg Noodles. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until noodles and vegetables are tender. Add chicken and parsley; heat through. Season with salt and pepper. (*I love the cooked chicken you can buy at Costco that comes from their roasted chickens...so easy to use in soups!)

Homemade Egg Noodles

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

In a large bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups flour and salt. Pour onto a clean work surface and make a deep well in the center with your fist. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, water and olive oil. Add all at once to well in center of flour mixture. (This is where I would keep it in a bowl next time!). Gradually mix the egg mixture into the flour mixture, using your hands to form a firm dough. Use remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed to dust the work surface while kneading the dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes total. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, form dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch wide noodles. Let noodles dry on floured work surface for up to 2 hours before adding to the soup.

Bon appetit! I made a loaf of beer bread to go with it...so yummy when toasted with a little butter on top. The flavor of the soup was very good. I have to admit it was fun to tackle making homemade noodles for the first time...not difficult at all (I'm going to mix in a bowl however). Making the noodles reminded me of my mother in law, Beverly. She made homemade noodles and mixed them with chicken and a little broth for a hearty meal...one of my husband's favorites. I wish I had asked her to teach me how she did it before her passing. Something to think about and take action...if your mom or mother in law makes a dish that you or your husband loves, get the recipe or learn how to do it before it's too late.

Just one more note about the soup. If you want something that tastes close to Homemade noodles for chicken soup and don't have the time or desire to make your own, buy the Reames brand Homemade Egg Noodles...they are good. The recipe on the back of the package is also a good Chicken Noodle soup one...except I leave out the cream. 

Hope you all well and staying warm...if not, try this Homemade Chicken Noodle soup recipe! I know many of us will be staying in to watch the Seahawks take on the Falcons Saturday afternoon! Go SEA...HAWKS! Have a wonderful weekend. Warmly, Gracia