Hungry Dancer: chicken soup to the rescue!

It started as a tickle in his throat Sunday night, only to be raw and sore on Monday, accompanied with a headache and stuffy nose. Hubs has another cold. This is a job for... chicken soup!

Campbell's Chunky works alright, but nothing is better than homemade chicken soup. Several years ago my bestie shared her super easy chicken soup recipe with me, and I've been making it every cold season since (thanks Danisita!).

Ingredients (sorry, no exact measurements this time)

Boneless chicken breasts or tenders (time saver alert: tenders cook faster!)
Half a white onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 to 2 bay leaves
Chicken broth (about 4 cups)
Salt, pepper, thyme and sage, to taste
Carrots
Potatoes
Egg noodles
Frozen peas

How-to

1. Gently boil the chicken (medium-high heat), about 25 minutes for tenders, about an hour for full breasts. Toss the onions, garlic and bay leaf in with the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, remove, drain and cool.
3. While chicken cools, add chicken broth, add potatoes and carrots. Add the thyme and sage, as well as more salt and pepper to taste. Cook until just tender.
4. Add the noodles. Continue simmering until noodles are cooked al dente.
5. While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken (careful if not fully cooled), and add back into the pot.
6. Throw in the peas and cook until heated through.
7. Serve and feel better!


Some Hungry Dancer tips...

I hate celery. It is vile. Don't try to tell me that "it doesn't have any flavor." Yes it does, and it's gross. So no celery goes into my soup. But you can add it to yours.
I use tenders because they cook faster and I'm on a tight schedule, people.
Fresh egg noodles, found in the frozen food aisle, are the best. But dried noodles work, too.
I like my soup with a bit of bite, especially when the nose is stuffy and the taste buds have checked out, so I'm generous with the pepper, thyme and sage.
I always use low-sodium broth. You can control your sodium by adding your own back in.

What's your favorite to-the-rescue recipe?

Happy eating!

xoxo

J