Cooking From Scratch: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup & Organizing The Pantry

Whenever the season changes here on the coast, we get a few weeks where Mother Nature just can’t seem to decide; Is it Summer? Is it Autumn?. Sunny one day, blustery and rainy the next. Then things settle down after the Equinox and the weather takes it’s normal course: rainy with a side of gloom, heaven. Thursday was grey all day and the rain hadn’t stopped even when I put my head down on my pillow at 11pm. I’d gone to the shops in the afternoon to buy all my groceries for a weeks worth of recipes. I like to plan my meals in advance. I’m a creature of habit.

I mostly cook from scratch and soups are an easy meal to make any day of the week. I’ve happily dusted off my soup tureen and am going to share my recipe for homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with you!.

Chicken Soup with Egg Noodles

INGREDIENTS

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite sized cubes
1 large yellow onion, diced (I chop mine in the food processor)
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into circles
2 stalks celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp dried or fresh rosemary leaves (I used fresh)
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp dried terragon
1 bay leaf
1 chicken/ Vegetable boullion cube
8 cups of chicken broth + 1 cup water or more if you find it salty
8- 10 oz. spiral egg noodles (or whichever noodles you prefer)
2 Tblsp butter
fresh parsley, minced (for garnish)

Instructions

Add a Tblsp of oil and 2 Tblsps of butter to a dutch oven or deep pot and heat over medium/high heat. Add the diced chicken breasts and brown for 5 minutes.
Add the chopped onion , carrot and celery and cook 5-7 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an extra minute.
Add all your spices, chicken bouillon and herbs (old bay, terragon, rosemary, thyme, etc), stir and then add chicken broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce back down to MED heat and cook until vegetables start to tender.
Add egg noodles and cook until they are soft.
Add 1/2 of your chopped parsley to the pot
If you notice the liquid level evaporating, you can add an extra cup or two of broth or water.
Taste and adjust the flavour to your liking and serve with a sprinkle of parsley and warm bread. I bought a cheddar loaf at Terra Breads and it went perfectly.

Saturday, September 14th: You guessed it!, Rain. My views out the windows are obscured by fog but in good Vancouver fashion, there are still quite a few people on the bridge, on their bikes and running. The rain won’t stop us!

I’m not one of those people who can just relax. You will rarely ever find me sitting in front of the television unless I’m watching a cozy movie from my Fall Movie List – For that blog click here: https://thebellwitchmanor.blog/2018/10/15/my-fall-movie-list/

I started my Autumn home decor today. Next Sunday I’m hosting my annual Mabon Feast and from the look of my calendar for the coming week, it’s today or never. I also did a little project I’ve been holding on to for one of these indoor-all-day days. I always buy my spices in bulk to save money . The only downside is that I’m left with a bunch of small loose bags in the pantry that I have to sift through every time I need them. Last week I ordered a set of 14 glass spice bottles in a kit including labels, a chalk marker and funnel. Today I dispensed the spices into the bottles and got rid of the bags. They now fit perfectly into a wood box and are neatly tucked away in the pantry. The things that make me happy. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B077T2252Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1