I've Got the Blues For Chicken Noodle Soup

Happy 2013, everyone! I hope you had a fantastic New Year's Eve.  Now that the holiday season is wrapped up and snow is finally starting to fall here, friends and colleagues are dropping like flies with the latest winter cold to make the rounds.  It got me thinking about what makes me feel better when I'm suffering from the winter cold blues. 

When my throat is fire engine red and my sinuses are congested, all I want is classic comfort food, just like mom used to make me.  For me, that is chicken noodle soup...and grilled cheese sandwiches.  There's just nothing better when I feel miserable.  It takes me to my happy place.

So, here I am on New Years Day, trying my hardest to beat the cold that is trying its darnedest to take up residence in my sinuses. Whipping up a batch of my mom's chicken soup sounded like the right thing to do.  Sure enough, it still holds that same magical properties it did when I was a little girl.

Mom's Healing Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon salt 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion (or half a large onion), diced

3 carrots, cut into small dice

3 stalks of celery, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped

2 sage leaves, gently chopped

1 bay leaf

8 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

4 - 6 oz of your favorite pasta (I had some cute radiatori left in the cabinet, so it went into the soup.  See?  Isn't it cute pasta?)

 Preparation:

Bring some water to boil in a small pot.  After the water has risen to a rolling boil, I add a few peppercorns, a bay leaf and some salt.  Then add the two chicken breasts and parboil for about 15 minutes or until cooked.  Remove chicken from water and set aside to cool.  (Tip: In the time it takes to chop all your veggies, the chicken will be ready.)

In large pot, over medium heat, add oil and onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add carrots and celery and cook until soft, about five minutes more.  I like to add the thyme and sage at this time, and let them mingle with the soft veggies for just a minute so they have a chance to release some of their oils before I pour the stock over the top...but only a minute!  They're delicate and you don't want them to burn or become bitter.  

At this point, pour the stock over the veggies.  Bring the soup to a boil, reducing to medium-low heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Once you’ve gotten the stock simmering, the chicken breasts are usually cool enough to handle.  You can be dignified and cut the chicken into nice, neat cubes, but I like to shred the chicken for this recipe.  It’s such a rustic, earthy kind of soup that shredded chicken seems to suit.   

Once the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, you can give it a sample and see if it needs any salt or pepper.  Most store-bought broths and stocks have a good deal of salt in them—even the low-sodium ones, so I prefer to wait to add it until the soup is almost completely cooked before adding any more seasoning. 

Add the chicken, pasta and bay leaf (or in my case, I added two fresh ones) and allow to simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes more, to warm the chicken through and cook the pasta.

Serve yourself a nice hearty bowl of this magical elixir and inhale the simple goodness.  This soup just smells like home to me.  If you're battling a cold at all this winter season, I hope you'll give this a try.  It truly is chicken soup for the soul.

Stay warm and healthy!