Revisiting Chicken Soup - This Time with Pictures!

A year or two ago I shared my sister-in-law's recipe for chicken soup, except I was so excited about it that I forgot to take any pictures until the end. Can you imagine? A visual learner such as myself forgetting the pix? The horror.

So I'm here today to correct that. But first...

Lookie what we woke up to Thursday morning!

Snow! Not sleet. Not ice. Seven inches of white, fluffy snow!

I can't tell you how happy, happy, happy that made me.

Ahem...

Now that I've gotten that out of my system...

This chicken soup recipe is fairly easy and the actually cooking time isn't long. However, there is some prep work, so plan on about an hour and half  from the time you start chopping until the time you're sitting down to eat.

Here's what you'll need:

• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5-6 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4-5 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1 quart vegetable broth (or use 3 chicken)
• 2-3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1-2 dashes red pepper flakes
• l large bay leaf (optional)
• 3-4 cubes (or equivalent) chicken bouillon
• 1 package Kluski or Bohemian noodles

I like to chop and gather everything for this dish before I actually start cooking.

Once that's done, place a large Dutch oven over high heat and add your olive oil. 

When the oil is heated, add the chicken, onions and garlic.

Cook until meat is browned.

Okay, so it doesn't exactly brown because there's a lot of moisture in there from the onions. The main thing is that you don't want to see any pink meat.

Next, you'll add your carrots, celery and all of your seasonings.

Bring to a low boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Boy, oh boy, does my house smell yummy. Talk about whetting your appetite.

Add noodles and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Delicious.

Now that's one lean meal. With loads of flavor. I try to limit the amount of noodles in my bowl, since I'm watching my carbs, but you might want to eliminate them all together. That is, if you won't have people glaring at you across the table because you did such an atrocious thing.

And if you have anyone in your house with a cold, this is the perfect meal. Feel free to up the garlic and red pepper flakes. ;)

Would you believe that Texas schools are on spring break this week? Something I find rather odd since spring doesn't start until March 20th. But then, they never ask me.

And yes, our snow is gone. Within 48 hours of its arrival, for the most part. But when July comes and temps hit 110, I'll be remembering it fondly.