I’m just going to say I’ve been hibernating for a while.
If you’re wondering where I’ve been, it’s been a bit of an adjustment getting back to real winter and a new job. It’s full-on winter here, and while it hasn’t been that bad, it’s definitely been an adjustment from the mostly mild Austin winters. My job is going well, but one perk is that we get food every day so I rarely have to cook so I just haven’t been cooking a lot of things worth sharing. Maybe it’s a bit of seasonality, maybe it’s pure laziness, but finally crawling out of my hermit shell to get back into doing things just for me.
Which starts here, and creating youtube videos again.
So that brings us up to speed in the capacity I have to share updates on my life. Let’s get into the soup.
This is a traditional chicken noodle soup – bumped up to cure some winter blues with fresh lemon and ginger added. I thought it was really good, and I don’t even love soup that much, but Kathryn came over and loved it so I knew that my opinions weren’t in vain. I made my own broth the night before for this and I think that makes quite a difference, but nothing so spectacular that a good ole container from the store can’t be substituted in its place. I just happen to have some bones and vegetables on the way out that needed to be used. Do what allows you to have the most fun in the kitchen.
I also will stress that I keep my noodles and soup stored separately the entire time until it’s ready to serve. Cook the noodles to package instructions and storing them in their own container prevents mushy noodles and inherently a better soup experience. I used ditalini pasta because I 1) thought it was a cute shape and 2) it’s roughly the same size as the vegetables in the soup.
The recipe is below, and the video is available here. I hope you like it and that if you make it, it cures your winter blues too.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
3 quarts chicken stock, storebought or homemade
2 chicken quarters, or two bone-in skin-on thighs and legs
spice mix, recipe below
vegetable or other neutral oil
3 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 oz cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 bay leaves
1 lemon, juiced
1 lb small pasta
kosher salt & fresh pepper
soup crackers, optional
spice mix
Equal parts of dried rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 °F
Take your chicken quarters and pat dry with a paper towel. Place on a baking sheet and generously coat both sides of the chicken with the spice rub – both on top of the skin and under where possible. Bake until 165°F, about 35-40 minutes. Once cooked, remove skin and shred the chicken, saving the bones for stock later. Set aside.
In a 5.5 qt or larger pot, add a few teaspoons of oil and the chopped mushrooms. Let them brown for 5 or so minutes and then add in your chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened slightly but still have a crunch texture. Next add in the minced garlic and ginger, and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in the shredded chicken and cover with the chicken stock. Add in two bay leaves and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the soup and let simmer while the pasta cooks.
In a medium saucepan, bring heavily salted water to a rolling boil and cook your pasta to package instructions. Drain and do not rinse. Set aside until ready to serve.
In your bowl, add your desired portion of the cooked pasta and soup. Serve with soup crackers and enjoy.
Keep the pasta and soup stored separate, can last in the fridge for one week.
Happy Eating!
Kelly
