Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch with Handmade Pasta Noodles

 Chicken Soup:

I can't tell you how much I crave a delicious bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. I was inspired to create this recipe after living in Utah and frequently ordering a bowl of Brick Oven's Chicken Noodle soup which was just down the street. Now 12 years later, I think I have it just where I want it to be. Don't be intimidated, it is easier than you think and pretty soon you will be able to whip up a hearty bowl for your whole family. Just pick the options that meets your needs or try a new version and see the difference.  This is also good with Turkey!

Step # 1 Prepare Chicken

Chicken Options:

1 Whole chicken- Roast it or buy a pre-roasted one. Shred off the meat and refrigerate.

or

3-4 Medium Chicken Breasts-

Bone-In Chicken Breasts- Broil or Baked (click here to see how I do it)



Only have frozen or fresh Chicken breasts?

Frozen Chicken breasts- Place3-4 Chicken breasts into stock pot and fill about half way. Bring it to a low boil and cook until chickens are done. Remove chickens from water. Shred chicken and refrigerate. Save your water for the soup!

Fresh Chicken breasts- Broil (click here to see how I do it), grill, baked or boil (as mentioned above). Cube and refrigerate.

Step # 2 Soup Base

Why make a soup base when I already have a stock?

First of all, this recipe is for a soup base which is different from a stock. Plus, I have two reasons why I prefer a soup base over a simple stock. One, I like more flavor without having to add more salt and two, I like a good hearty base which is full of nutrients and more filling so I don't feel like I have to eat more noodles to feel satisfied than I would with a thinner base.  However, you can always skip this step and go straight to step #3.

MAKE A SIMPLE SOUP BASE 

Ingredients:

•  4 Quarts of Pre-Made Chicken Stock (click here for my recipe) -half it with water if it is concentrated.

No chicken stock? Use 4 Tablespoons of Chicken Soup Base (or Bouillon) with 4 quarts of water

• 2 Fresh Carrots, cleaned and chopped
• 2 Fresh Celery with leaves, cleaned and chopped
• 1-2 Fresh Leeks, cleaned and chopped
• 1 Fresh onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Fresh Sprig or 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1 Teaspoon of Sage
• 1 Teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Tablespoon of dried Dill Weed (optional but wonderful)
• 1 Teaspoon of Curry Powder (optional but wonderful)
• 2 cloves of minced Garlic or Dried
• Leftover Chicken fat or Oil to tenderize the vegetables and keep chicken from drying out. (optional if you didn't leave some in your stock)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to water or stock and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 20 minutes or until all vegetables are softened. Blend into a liquid base. You can do this with an immersion blender, put into a upright blender or your food processor. If you take it out, add back to pot when blended.

Step # 3- Add Bulk Vegetables

• 4 Carrots- cleaned, peeled, and chopped into bite sizes.
• 4 Celery Hearts- cleaned, peeled, and chopped into bite sizes.

Directions- 

1. Add bulk vegetables to your completed soup base and allow them to simmer while you make your noodles. 

Forgot to add bulk vegetables before you made your noodles?

Add the bulk vegetables right before you start adding your noodles to boiling soup base and cook with noodles until done. (This option is if you are like me and forget to add the bulk vegetables before you cook your noodles. Your noodles will not get over cooked and mushy (they will retain their shape).

Step #4 - Make Your Pasta Noodles

Pasta Dough:

Flour: about 1-2 cups

Olive Oil: As Needed 

Salt: A dash

Eggs: About 2

What Flour can I use? 
These are country style noodles so, I have not made them with Semolina or Durum wheat flours. I have made my noodles with whole red wheat flour, whole brown wheat flour, whole white wheat flour, and unbleached all purpose flour. I have yet to try it with gluten-free all purpose flour. Just keep in mind that the more hearty the flour, the longer you need to cook it and the more dense and chewy it will be. I personally like the whole white wheat and the whole red wheat and the unbleached all purpose flour. It produces a really tender noodle that soaks in the soup base quite well.
 

Prep:

I like to start with 1 cup of flour and 2 eggs and go on from there. Throw together in a bowl and mix with a spoon or your hands (rub a little olive oil on your hands to keep dough from sticking to your hands)

Knead only until your dough can be formed into a ball.
Cover and let is sit for 15-20 minutes at room temp
(it is not going to rise. Letting it sit will make it more pliable and easy to roll out)

 Step #5- Form Noodles

Roll out dough on a well-floured surface and spread flour on top. Roll up dough and cut into disks to unravel noodles. You can cut them shorter or keep them super long. Re-use the flour by brushing up the flour with your hand and adding it to the soup.

Step # 6- Cook Noodles in Soup Base

This is a photo from back in 2009 when I used to make this soup
without a soup base. Not the same at all!

Bring soup base to a boil. Place noodles a few at a time until all of them are in the pot (adding them all at once can created a big lump of noodles. Cook until desired tenderness (about 10-12 minutes depending on thickness).

They will enlarge a little bit and may even break apart if they are too thin. We like ours super long!

The noodles come out nice and tender. You can't beat homemade noodles.

Step #7- Add Chicken

If you haven't shredded your chicken, take your cooled chicken meat, shred or cube it, and add as the final ingredient. It should warm up almost immediately or in a few minutes because the broth will be hot from cooking the noodles.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

Homemade Chicken Stock

You really can't compare homemade chicken stock to that of store bought. This golden elixir has made a reputable mark in the culinary world since ancient times and has since been known to prevent and alleviate sickness and other ailments due to it's nutrient dense qualities. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself and see how such savory goodness can come from such simple foods. This is my stock recipe and I have been making my broth this way for years now. Even if I change it up now and then (depending on what ingredients I have), I have always been pleased how it turns out.

I hope you enjoy! 

 

There is a debate out there about whether you should use a fresh whole chicken or a already cooked chicken carcass. According to many chefs, it is a matter of preference as both produce a good broth in the end. I prefer a chicken carcass because I save my left over bones after making a previous meal (which also saves me money). So, I leave it to you.

 

Homemade Chicken Stock

(I also do this with Turkey)

 If you want to make a stock with a leftover carcass and don't have time, just place it in a freezer bag or paper and freeze it for up to two months for the best results.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 whole fresh chicken or leftover chicken carcass
• Cold Water (do not use hot)
• 2 large fresh Carrots, cleaned and cut in half
• 2 fresh Celery stalks with leaves, cleaned, and cut in half
• 1-2 fresh Leeks, cleaned and halved twice (optional but highly recommended)
• 1 large fresh Onion (Any), whole or quartered (leaving the skin on will add color which is fine)
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 fresh sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried Parsley
• 2 fresh sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried Thyme
• 1-2 Bay Leafs (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (add after the first half hour of cooking. Salt is important as it helps draw the protein out of the bones and creates a cleaner stock)

 

Don't have some of these herbs, you can still make a good broth and add these later if needed in a recipe.

 

Directions:

Assuming that you have a left over chicken or you just roasted one, take all the meat off. Shred chicken pieces and refrigerate to use for other dishes or chicken soups. Place carcass in a stock pot, then fill with vegetables, pepper, herbs, and then cover with cold water (About two inches above contents). Simmer uncovered (Do not boil). This can be an all day thing if you want to make a concentrated stock (8-10 hours) or 4-6 hours of simmering should be good for a lighter stock. You can also throw it in the slow cooker and set it. Stir it about 3 or four times during the first hour to incorporate ingredients, after that, just keep an eye  on it.

 

Make sure you skim the grayish foam out of your stock as it cooks to make a clearer and cleaner stock. If you do not remove the impurities that make up the gray foam, you may have a bitter taste in your stock. The more the water recedes, the more concentrated it will become.  

 

  

Remove carcass to leave only the smaller pieces.

In a large colander, let the pieces drain into a large bowl for a few minutes.

Strain the liquid again (and again if needed) to ensure no bones or small pieces are left. you can also use a cheesecloth.

 

Allow the hot broth to cool down before you refrigerate it. I set mine with ice around and below to help cool it faster. Add more Kosher Salt to taste towards the end of cooling if needed but keep in mind that the salinity will become more prevalent the cooler it gets. Stir occasionally to mix the cool with the hot liquid. When it cools the fat will separate. Either keep the fat and mix back into the broth or take it off freeze separately if desired. Your stock may be gelatinous. This is perfect fine and a good thing at that. If this is the case, you can always spoon it into containers to freeze of refrigerate.

 

After you have refrigerated it at least over night, you can freeze your stock in cubes to save time for your recipes that call for it. One ice cube is about 1/4 cup of stock.

 

Storage:

It us recommended that you freeze your stock until needed. However stock can be kept in the refrigerator for up to six days. If it has been more than 6 days, make sure you bring it to a boil for 8-10 minutes before using.

 

Stock can be kept in the freezer for 4-6 months.

 

Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

After the holidays, I finally feel a bit inspired to do more cooking. I made this up from a favorite soup I recall in a restaurant. I think it would also be fantastic with mushrooms. This soup takes a little while to cook the wild rice, but very little hands-on time is needed.

Forgot to photograph the final product!! Here it is just before adding the half & half.

Ingredients:

1 T. butter

1-2 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. dry white wine (I used pinot grigio)*

4 c. chicken broth/stock

1/2 c. wild rice

3 carrots, diced

1 large chicken breast, diced quite small

1/2 to 1 full cup half and half (or heavy cream or milk would be fine)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter and 1 T. olive oil in medium soup pot. Saute onions over medium heat until soft.
2. Whisk in flour. Add the remaining olive oil if too dry. Cook about 2 minutes, or until just starting to brown a bit. (It will be a rather thick "glob.")
3. Whisk in wine and whisk until liquid is all absorbed.
4. Pour in chicken stock and wild rice. Cover and simmer over med-low about 45 minutes, or until the rice begins to "pop" open.
5. Add the chicken and carrots. Continue simmering covered, about 20 more minutes. 
6. Just before serving, stir in half and half and adjust seasoning to taste.

*If you're really opposed to cooking with wine, you could substitute more chicken broth. And this soup would still be delish (and lower fat) without the cream.

Mangia! (Eat!) . . . Cindy Lou Who

Basic Creamy Potato Soup

Basic Creamy Potato Soup

Yum! Creamy Potato Soup

I love soups! The fall is a great time to experiment with soup – a handy way to use some of that last-of-the-season produce, warm your tummy, and put a whole meal in a single pot!

I keep my soups pretty basic, to reduce the squawking from my young ones. The great thing about soups is that you can modify so easily (some bacon or sausage would sub in nicely for ham). I do my best to “hide” the onion (kids like the flavor, but no chunks). I like finely diced ingredients, but if you want a little more coarse chop, go for it.

This makes about 4 hearty servings. You can make it a meal with a side salad (or go for your carb overload and serve with fresh bread, like we did). By mashing a portion of the potatoes, it helps thicken the broth and make the soup rather creamy, without overdoing the heavy cream. It would actually be pretty tasty without the cream at all – that’s up to you. Start to finish, maybe 45 minutes – about 10 minutes chopping/prepping ingredients, about 10 minutes sautéing and maybe 25 to simmer.

Prepped ingredients

Ingredients:

• Potatoes – about 4 medium, peeled (2 coarsely diced, 2 finely diced)
• 3 Carrots, peeled and finely diced
• About 2 t. extra virgin olive oil
• One half onion, diced finely
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• About 1 cup ham, finely diced
• 1 box chicken stock (or broth), 32 ounce
• Heavy cream, one half to one full cup
• Kosher salt, to taste (about 1 t.)
• Black pepper, to taste
• Grated cheddar and fresh or dried chives, optional for garnish

First, prepare, peel and chop all your veggies. Set aside about 2 of the potatoes – just chunk them up and steam them in the microwave with about one-fourth cup water, until “mashable.” (Mine took about 7 minutes. Side note: I LOVE my Pampered Chef steamer – highly recommend! And no, I don’t sell their products.). Finely dice the remaining potatoes. I dice my ham after all the veggies are chopped, to reduce cross-contamination issues. 

In a medium stockpot, heat oil over medium heat, then add onion and garlic. Saute until soft. If they start to brown too much before you’re ready, stir in just a little (quarter-cup or so) chicken stock and continue cooking.

Once the onion and garlic are done to your liking, stir in the ham and lightly brown. It’s extra nice to get some of that brown, caramelized coating to the bottom of the pan.

Ham, garlic & onion - can you almost smell this?!?

While the ham is browning, your steamed potatoes should be done. I left in the little bit of water from steaming and mashed with a fork. (Actually, my unpaid assistant, Ella, did this part. I highly recommend unpaid kitchen staff!) Once the potatoes are all mashed, stir in about a half-cup of chicken stock and mix until smooth.

Now, once the ham is browned, add in the diced carrots, diced potatoes, mashed potatoes and about 2-3 cups of the chicken stock. (I didn’t quite use the entire 4-cup box, but you can decide how thick or thin you’d like the soup. Start thick and thin as desired.) Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until potatoes and carrots are at desired doneness. Add salt and pepper as desired.

To finish, stir in heavy cream and remove from heat. Serve with desired garnishes.

Before cream, while simmering

Finished soup - Dish up!

Mangia! (Eat!) . . . Cindy Lou Who

Chicken Tortilla Soup

  

This recipe if for my homemade tortilla soup that can be customized to whatever your busy schedule is. For those of you that want something that takes a little love and time that just screams home-cooked deliciousness, I wrote my from-scratch versions. I also incorporated ingredient and direction short cuts to make this meal a faster and easy one to handle. When printing this, click on the parts you want to delete (they will show up yellow when you click on them) to customize it accordingly.

A re-post from 2010

I REALLY needed to re-post this tortilla soup recipe because it was such a mess. I had all these ingredients listed with no measurements, no step by step pictures and no way to customize it for people that may want to do things different depending on the time and ingredients they have. Well, now that I have made this enough times in many different ways, I finally have a written down everything and took some step by step photos. The main picture above is still my original from October of 2010.



Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup
(different options will be included throughout recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole fresh/frozen or 3-4 med fresh breasts (with/without bone) of Chicken.  
• 2 cups of dry or 1 can of Pinto and 1 1/2 cups of dry or 1can Black Beans.  
• About 8 cups of Chicken Stock or Water with 2-3 tablespoons of Chicken Base
• 4 medium Carrots (chopped)
• 4 stalks of celery (chopped)
• 1 large Onion or about 3 small green onions (chopped)
• 2 cloves of Garlic (minced) or (see seasoning mix below)
• 4 Large Tomatillos (quartered)
• 2-4 Poblano Peppers (seeded and chopped) I have also used various other peppers
• 2 cups fresh or stewed Tomatoes with their juices (diced)
• 1-2 small cans of Green Chilies 
• 1-2 cups of fresh, frozen, or 1 can of corn

• Seasoning Mix: 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder (optional), 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of smoked or regular paprika, 1 tablespoon ground cumin. Salt and Pepper to taste.

You can also use a fajita (or taco) seasoning packet to add instead.

• Thickeners: I like to use cut up Corn tortillas (about 4-6), dried Refried Beans (about 1/2- 1 cup), or Potato flakes (about 1/2- 1 cup) to thicken soup.

• 1 handful of Cilantro (finely chopped) 
• Juice from one fresh Lime (or equivalent of bottled lime juice)

Favorite Soup Toppings:

• Corn Tortilla chips or strips* (I like "hint of lime" chips)
• Cheddar, Monterrey jack, or Mexican blend cheese, shredded
• Sour Cream
• Avocado slices
• Cilantro
• Fresh tomatoes, salsa, or Pico de Gallo
• Fresh Lime juice

*To make your own strips, cut fresh corn tortillas into strips and fry until crispy.

Directions:

#1. Chicken

 You can roast your own chicken or pick one up roasted at your supermarket.

How I roast my chicken whole (About a 3 pound chicken):

From Fresh- Remove Giblets, neck, and tail. Wash chicken inside and out, pat dry. Rub light Olive oil all over skin, season with salt, pepper, and/or some of the seasoning pack listed above.

Put in roasting pan and bake at 325 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Allow chicken to cool while finishing soup. Then chop or shred. Keep carcass to make chicken stock for your soup or freeze for later use.

From frozen- rinse off, put in a roasting pan, add a couple of cups of water to the pan, cover and bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours or 350 degrees for 2 hours.

Allow chicken to cool and remove giblets, neck and tail. Allow chicken to cool while finishing soup. Then chop or shred. Keep carcass to make chicken stock for your soup or freeze for later use.

How I roast or broil Chicken Breasts Click Here

#2.  Vegetable and Chicken Base for Soup

How I Make the Base for My Soup:

Roasted-

Put Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Tomatillos, Peppers and lime rinds (optional) into roasting pan if using with prepared [fresh] chicken. Roast with chicken. Without chicken, broil on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until softened. If roasting with chicken, roast until chicken is done. Allow chicken to cool. Dump all vegetables, chicken drippings, and stock (or water with chicken base) and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and blend* together

or Boiled- Put Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic, Tomatillos, Peppers, and chicken stock (or water and chicken base) into Large pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and Blend* together.

*Blend all together with immersion blender, blender, or food processor.

#3. Beans

How I like to Prepare my Beans:

Long prep time and long cooking time-

Wash beans and place in a pot of water filled about a fist above the beans. Cover and soak over night. Drain beans and fill pot of water again fist high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and slow cook for up to 6 hours.

( I will also place in my slow cooker instead of watching the stove).

Short prep time, longer cooking time- Place washed beans into pressure cooker (uncovered), fill with water about fist high from the top of beans. Bring to a boil. Add more water if needed and cover and bring to high heat until weight begins to dance. Reduce heat to medium high and set timer for 35-40 minutes (you will start to smell them). Remove from heat and wait until all pressure is gone and latch lock falls. If beans are still not soft enough, pressure cook another 10 minutes. Strain water and add beans to soup.   

Long prep time, shorter cooking time- Wash beans and place in a pressure cooker pot of water filled about a fist above the beans. Cover and soak over night. Drain beans and fill pressure cooker pot of water fist high again. Cover and bring to high heat until weight begins to dance. Reduce heat to medium high and set timer for 15-20 minutes (you will start to smell them). Remove from heat and wait until all pressure is gone and latch lock falls. If beans are still not soft enough, pressure cook another 10 minutes. Strain water and add beans to soup.   

No prep time and no cook time- Using canned beans will skip this whole part of the recipe. Just add in beans to your soup.

#4. Remaining Ingredients

Add Tomatoes with their juices, Green Chilies, corn, cilantro, and lime juice. Also ad thicken of your choice as needed. Add chicken chunks liberally and bring soup to a boil. Remove from heat or put in slow cooker to warm until ready. (The longer the soup sits (keeping it warm) the more flavorful it will be.

Let your guest help themselves to the toppings to add on their individual soups.

Another Tip:
With the left over chicken carcass, you can make some homemade chicken stock for this soup (while your beans are slow cooking-about 3-4 hours) or freeze carcass to make stock later.

You can also make stock with the carcass a day or two after you've made this soup and freeze the stock in cubes for later use. Keep chicken carcass in refrigerator until ready.