It Doesn't Have To Be Fancy

A couple weeks ago my mom and I were browsing one of our favorite little grocery stores when we stumbled upon a brand new display. We were elated to find they are now carrying an entire line of products from our favorite Amish store. One stop shopping! Which is great, because we never get to the Amish store as much as we would like! 

Well, the first thing my eyes traveled to were the homemade Amish noodles. Yep, there I stood, in  the middle of the store, drooling. I love noodles. Plain noodles, noodles with sauce, noodles in soup...it doesn't matter to me as long as it includes noodles. 

I was looking at all the varieties, and I found a bag of the thinnest egg noodles I had ever seen. They were beautiful. (Yes, I love noodles so much I find beauty in them!) My brain immediately goes into food blogger mode and I start brainstorming what I could do with them. And that's when mom comes into the story. 

I was staring at them, the gears in my brain turning, and she asked what I was doing. "I'm trying to think of something special I could do with these. A new recipe for the blog." Here comes mom's infinite wisdom..."Why? Do something simple. It doesn't have to be fancy. They would be perfect in chicken noodle soup." Talk about a huge "Duh!!" moment! For it was in that instant I realized I had never blogged my classic, go-to chicken noodle soup recipe! Sure, I had shared my Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup forever ago, but never my "ordinary, every day" one! Sometimes you just need a little perspective; and in my life, that usually comes from mom! 

So, here it is. The chicken noodle soup recipe I've been making since we were first married. It's a classic in our house, but you might notice a couple nontraditional things about it. First of all, I don't boil the chicken with the veggies. Sure, this leads to a delicious broth, but for me, I think it also leads to chicken lacking in flavor. Instead, I roast mine, locking in all the juice and flavor. Secondly, I start my veggies by sauteing them. Why? Two reasons really. One, it helps to get them cooking, so this can be ready as soon as possible. And two, it's about flavor again. To me, veggies cooked in butter taste a whole lot better than just boiling them. Sure, it's an extra step, but one that can be done while the chicken cooks, so the soup is moving forward while you wait! 

This is a classic soup recipe for a cold day, or perfect to take to someone who is under the weather. It's one of those soups that eats like a meal. It's simple, but delicious. Easy, but filling. 

See, it doesn't have to be fancy. It just has to be yummy!

Roasted Chicken and Noodle Soup

3 boneless chicken breasts

Olive Oil

2 (32 oz.) boxes chicken broth

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 lb. fine egg noodles

3 TBS. butter

2 c. water

5 carrots, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 medium white onion, diced

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

1 TBS dried parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil. Drizzle chicken with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-45 minutes until juices run clear. Allow to slightly cool and shred. Set aside. In a large stock pot over medium heat melt butter. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Saute' until veggies are beginning to soften. Add chicken to mixture. Season with garlic powder and thyme. Saute' for 2 more minutes. Add broth, water and bouillon cubes. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop and veggies to cook through. Bring heat back up to a hard simmer. Add noodles and cook about 5 until tender. Add parsley. Stir and serve.

Shared on The Country Cook Oct. 24, 2014