It’s that time of year when colds and the flu take over our bodies.  They say one of the best things to not only fight off sickness but help battle it when it does hit is chicken noodle soup and I’ve got to agree.  Here’s the recipe I used to make a huge pot of soup yesterday:

Ingredients:

  1. 1 whole chicken, cut up
  2. 3 12 oz. cans fat-free chicken broth
  3. 1 lb bag carrots
  4. 1 large onion
  5. 1 bunch celery
  6. 1 8 oz. package baby Portabella mushrooms
  7. 3 medium leaves kale
  8. 8 oz egg noodles
  9. Salt
  10. Black pepper
  11. 1 bay leaf
  12. ¼ tsp coriander

Directions:

Fill an 8 quart stock pot slightly more than half full with water. Add 1 12 oz can of chicken broth. Add a ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper. Bring to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, wash chicken parts and trim off some skin and fat.

Once the water is boiling, add bay leaf and washed chicken. Reduce to a low/medium simmer. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours or until the meat on the chicken falls off bone very easily. Remove from heat.

Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool to the touch. Pick meat off the bones and discard skin, bones, and undesirable meat.

Strain stock pot to remove bay leaf and any remaining bones, etc.

Allow soup broth to cool, then refrigerate for about an hour. This will solidify the fat on top, allowing for easier removal. Skim fat off the top of the broth.

Second Part: Wash all veggies. Chop entire bag of carrots (without peeling the carrots of their skins, that’s the healthy part!). Chop 6-7 stalks of celery. Peel and chop entire onion. Chop entire package of portabella mushrooms. Chop kale leaves into manageable strips.

Return stock pot to burner. Add 2 cans of chicken broth to boost the flavor. Bring stock to a high simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of coriander. Add all chopped vegetables. Reduce to a low simmer for 2 hours.

When veggies and stock are almost done, take a 3 or 4 quart pot and fill with water. Bring to boil. Add 8 oz of egg noodles and salt to taste. Follow package directions for al dente pasta. Make sure to rinse noodles in cold water when they are done. Once vegetables are finished simmering, add chicken and egg noodles. Continue to heat on low for 10 minutes to bring chicken and noodles up to temperature.

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