The Best Chicken Noodle Soup

As a self-proclaimed Queen of Soup, I must confess that chicken noodle soup comes in at a close second to cream of fungus mushroom soup as my least favorite soups.  It’s not really a dislike of chicken noodle soup, I just don’t crave it like I do with other bowls of goodness (please forgive the unappetizing photos).  

Perhaps the association between illness and the red and white can filled with slimy, salty goop served alongside a stack of saltine crackers to choke it down is what makes me turn my head and gag.  I swear when I glimpse that red and white can I see a stack of tissues and my fuzzy pink blanket.  Hypochondria sets in and suddenly I’m sniffling, tired, wheezy and whiny.  Oh yes, I’m the “dude” in our marriage when it comes to being sick.  I hate it and complain about my illness until I fall asleep.  The Husband says I even whine in my sleep, though I tend to think he makes that up.

Thankfully, I have wonderful friends in my life who gush over recipes they’ve made that are The.Best.Ever!  I genuinely want to try the recipes because my friends have taken the time to tell me how great it is and share the recipe.  So, when my good friend Sarah gushed over the chicken noodle soup she made with homemade noodles I thought about it and thought about it, finally deciding that I had to make it.  I mean, who gushes over chicken noodle soup?  It had to be incredible.

The only thing I can say is, wow.  I’m sorry it’s taken 28 years to love chicken noodle soup because this stuff… it’s what chickens were born to be (eww!).

**not gluten free**

Best Chicken Noodle Soup
Adapted from Taste of Home*

Olive oil
1 T dried rosemary
1 t dried thyme
1 t garlic powder
Salt & Pepper, to taste
3 plump chicken breasts (I used boneless, skinless)
5 c chicken stock
4 stalks celery, sliced in 1/2″ pieces
4 carrots, quartered the chopped into 1/2″ dice
1 small onion, chopped

Noodles:
2 1/4 c flour
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk (a little shy of the whole can)
1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet by lining with foil; set aside.  Place chicken breasts on cookie sheet and lightly rub one side with oil, season with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and garlic powder.  Turn the chicken over and repeat with the seasoning.  Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken bounces back when pressed.  Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes before cutting into bite-sized chunks.

Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or soup kettle, bring the chicken stock to a boil.  Add the celery, carrots, onion and season with salt and pepper; simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

For the noodles:
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  Make a well in the center.  Beat egg and about 3/4 of the can of milk together into the well.  Stir together, forming a dough (the original recipe calls for a 5 oz can of evaporated milk, but for the life of me I couldn’t get a dough consistency without using almost an entire 14 oz can.  You just don’t want the dough to be crumbly… so use your judgement with the milk.  I poured the remaining milk in the soup just before serving).  Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead 8-10 times.  Divide into thirds.  Freeze 2 portions (don’t throw it away! This stuff is to die for!) then roll out the remaining portion to 1/8″ thickness on a very lightly floured surface; cut to desired width.

Place the chicken and any collected juices in with the simmered vegetables then drop the noodles in and continue cooking for 7-9 minutes or until tender.

The original recipe calls for fungus mushrooms as well as 2 whole fryer chickens for those of you who dig dark meat.