Chicken Noodle Soup

It has been raining all day here in Memphis. And the temperature is dropping. The weather outside is so bad that not a single one of my four dogs has asked to go outside all day. Not even since I woke up. Their bladders must be about to explode, but when I open the backdoor and coax them out, they just stare at me.

It's days like this that remind me of Chicken Noodle Soup. Because it's cold and rainy, not because of dog bladders. And that's what I have made for dinner tonight. Chicken Noodle is so easy, but people have stashed it away in some 1950's-Good-Housekeeping-Campbell's-Condensed-World War II-rationing-style mindset, that they forgot how good the original article can be. And easy! And cheap! Not cheaper than the Campbell's condensed stuff, but better tasting, and better for you for sure.

So here you go:

6 servings in thirty minutes

1 lb. of Chicken Breasts $4
2 large carrots $.70
1 bunch of celery $1.25
1 white onion $.60
2 garlic cloves $.05
Thyme $.10
Bay Leaf $.05
2 Tbsp. Olive oil $.50
Salt and Pepper $.10
32 oz. of Chicken Broth $1.75
8 ounces of egg noodles $1.00

Total Cost: $10.10 per serving $1.69

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes at 350 F after coating it with EVOO, thyme, and s&p. While baking the chicken, chop the celery, onion, carrot (peel it first of course) and garlic clove and drop it in a large stock pot with the EVOO which should be hot. Sautee the mixture without browning it. Maybe 6 minutes over medium heat, or until the vegetables soften, but aren't mush. Add the thyme, bay leaf and chicken broth, and bring to boil. Once to a boil, you can drop the heat to a LOW simmer. Once the chicken is finished baking, cut it into cubes and drop into the soup. If you are ready for service, turn up the heat on the soup, and drop in the egg noodles. These will be tender and ready in 4-5 minutes. And there you have it. HOMEMADE. Like you wish your mom had made!

And here is a tip! If you are planning on keeping some for leftovers for the next day, don't put all the egg noodles in at once. Scoop out your left overs and place them in a container to hold in the fridge. And when you heat that the next day, add your egg noodles then. The reason being is the egg noodles will continue to soak up all the broth in the soup while being kept in the fridge, and you will have something that resembles Chicken & Dumplings. Your egg noodles aren't reconstituted like Campbell's are. And that's a good thing!