It never fails that when anyone close to me gets sick, my mother hen instincts kick into overdrive. Case in point: when Parker came down with strep throat last week, I instantly made sure he got on the right antibiotics and stayed on the couch, and supplied him with plenty of Gatorade and chicken soup.
Depending on how much time I have, I either buy a rotisserie chicken for meat and use bouillon cubes for broth, or I buy a whole chicken and make homemade stock.
This time I was forced into buying the raw chicken (damn you, rotisserie chicken sale, and everyone who made it to the store before me!). To cook the chicken, simply place it in a stock pot with some quartered onions, carrots and celery and a couple of bay leaves, cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook for about an hour and a half to two hours, or until the meat easily comes off the bones. Strain the stock and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, until the fat rises to the top and solidifies. In a press for time, this batch of soup was made with half of the chicken meat and bouillon broth, leaving the stock to separate and be used in another recipe on another day, along with the rest of the chicken meat.
This time I was forced into buying the raw chicken (damn you, rotisserie chicken sale, and everyone who made it to the store before me!). To cook the chicken, simply place it in a stock pot with some quartered onions, carrots and celery and a couple of bay leaves, cover with water, bring to a boil, and cook for about an hour and a half to two hours, or until the meat easily comes off the bones. Strain the stock and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, until the fat rises to the top and solidifies. In a press for time, this batch of soup was made with half of the chicken meat and bouillon broth, leaving the stock to separate and be used in another recipe on another day, along with the rest of the chicken meat.
Chicken Soup w/ Egg Noodles
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bag egg noodles
6-8 C chicken broth or stock
Approx. 2 C chicken meat
Salt and pepper
Hot sauce (optional)
Finely dice the carrots, celery and onion, and mince the garlic. Lightly saute in a tablespoon of olive oil, just until the onions are tender but the carrots retain their crunch. Remove the veggies from the pot. Bring broth or stock to a boil, add the egg noodles, and cook until done. Stir in the chicken and veggies, let simmer for another 5 minutes or so, and season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
While I'm sure the medicine was the cure, Parker said the soup helped him feel better, too. And that's enough for me. As long as the ones I love are happy, I can't ask for more.
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