Chicken Noodle Soup

So now that I had all this homemade stock at my disposal, I figured it was time to make chicken noodle soup.  Since The Mr. was still recovering from oral surgery, what a better way to help him feel better than a warm bowl of the universal elixir. 


After searching around, this recipe from Elly over at "ellysaysopa.com" sounded the most appealling and looked exactly as I hoped it would.  And by the way, if you haven't had the pleasure of browsing her blog, you need to make a point of it.  If the photography alone isn't enough to pull you in, I don't know what is!  She has fantastic advice and information; moreover, most of her dishes having intriguing and/or healthy ingredients (of which I am still learning to identify and pronounce! :)) Honesly, reading her recipes makes me want to be Greek.  But enough of my gushing, and on to the real reason you're here:  chicken noodle soup.


Quite simply, this soup will be a staple in our household forever.  That's right.  For-ev-er.  I never knew how good soup could be; but now that I have crossed over to the other side, I will never enjoy soup from a can quite as much as I used to.


Source:   based entirely on Elly's Chicken Noodle Soup (with very minor adjustments)


Ingredients:


2T. butter
1 onion, diced
4-5 carrots, sliced
4-5 celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 c. chicken broth-- if you're feeling adventurous and want to make your own, click here to see how I did it the first time
4 c. cooked chicken
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1 T. dried parsley
2 cubes of chicken bouillon
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
2 c. uncooked egg noodles


Directions:


Melt the butter in a large dutch oven.  Add onions and cook for several minutes over medium-high heat.  Add celery and carrots, cook for another couple of minutes.  Add garlic.  Stir and saute for one or two more minutes.


It looks like this when I cook it:

Then, add chicken, broth, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, parsley, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer lightly for 30 minutes. 


Add noodles and simmer till cooked (about 8-11 minutes)


Verdict:  Awesome.  It's the only chicken noodle soup I'll ever make!

... and it's so photogenic! :)