Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch

My grandma always made the best chicken noodle soup when I was a kid - she was the only one who actually made it.  And when I say she made it, I mean she made it all from scratch, nothing from a can, no bagged noodles.  When I was in college I asked her for the recipe and she said that there wasn't one (she didn't make much of anything from an actual recipe), but she said she would show me and I could write it down if wanted to.  So that is exactly what I did one Saturday morning I went to her house armed with a pen and paper, she already had the chicken boiling and HER apron was on the counter waiting for ME.  The rest is left to memories.  Each time I make this simple, yet delicious soup for my family it brings back so many fond memories of my grandma; I love telling my children about her.

Here's What You'll Need:
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 sm. onion, chopped
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
4 chicken thighs
1 T. celery seeds
1 bay leaf
salt to taste

Easy Step By Step Instructions:

This much I know is true; almost every good soup starts out with a handful of good vegetables.  This soup is no different; a couple carrots, a little celery and some onion.  I like to use the hearts and leaves of celery in my soup.  I find that while its not the best for snacking on, it packs a great amount of flavor that is excellent in soup.

Chop up your carrots, celery and onion.  My husband got me this snazzy food processor for Christmas this year so I'm putting it to good use, but by all means you can chop this stuff by hand; I always have before!  I sliced everything in the food processor this time; I even quartered the onion and sliced that too.  Put your veggies, celery seeds and bay leaf in a stock pot with some homemade chicken broth and the chicken thighs. (Any time I boil chicken I cool the broth, skim the fat and freeze the broth in a zip top bag.)  You may used canned broth in this recipe, but it won't taste like grandmas!  Boil the chicken until it is fully cooked, let it cool then de-bone it and set it aside.

Place the dough blade in the food processor, add two eggs,  1/4 cups flour and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Pulse the  food processor until everything is nicely incorporated then add one tablespoon of milk while the blade is running.

The mixture will be crumbly but can easily be pressed into a ball.  It should not be sticky; if it is sticky add enough flour to make it more firm.  If you don't have a food processor, simply mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with a fork (that's how my grandma always did it).

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.

Once the dough has rested it's time to roll it out.  Keep your surface and your dough well floured so nothing sticks (that's the worst!).  Roll the dough very thin rectangle shape with a rolling pin, about 1/8 inch thick.

Once the dough is rolled out thin, flour it very well on the top side, so that in the next step the dough doesn't stick together.

Roll the dough up cinnamon roll style.

Cut the rolled dough into spirals that are about 1/4 inch wide.  I like to use a filet knife because the blade is so thin and its very sharp.  Gently glide your knife blade through the dough; don't press the knife down too hard or your layers of dough will be all squished together and you'll end up with hard blobs instead of tender noodles.

Unroll the spirals of dough.  I like to unroll mine as I work, or better yet, let one of your little helpers do it!

Once the noodles are unrolled, slice them into manageable pieces about 1.5 - 2 inches long.  Truth be told I like to leave mine long, but it makes them a little hard for the kids to eat.

Bring your chicken broth and veggies to a rolling boil and add all of the noodles, letting any extra/loose flour fall away.  The noodles take about 15 minutes to fully cook.

The noodles should plump up nicely.

Add the chicken meat back into the soup and heat it through.  Remove the bay leaf.

Enjoy a large bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup with your family.  This pot of soup should offer 4 hearty servings.

And to answer your question, yes the soup is better the second day but who can wait that long?

The Consolidated Version:

Noodles: Combine eggs, salt, milk, and flour with a fork, using enough flour to make a ball of dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the dough out very thin with a rolling pin, about 1⁄8 inch thick. Flour the dough well and roll it into a spiral and slice into ¼ inch sections. Unroll the noodles and let set until ready to use. Soup: Boil chicken, celery, carrots and onion seasoned with celery seed, bay leaf and salt to taste. When the chicken is done remove it from broth, debone and chop into pieces. Stir in noodles, cook until tender about 15 minutes. Add chicken to soup, remove bay leaf and serve. The Printable Version

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham

Our family loves soup in the fall.  My husband likes all soups to have the consistency of stew and this recipe reflects just that.  It has lots and lots of vegetables and meat!

Chop up some veggies.  I love to add as many veggies as I can get away with into all of my dishes!  Dice a medium onion and two medium carrots.

Throw them into a stock pot with 6 tablespoons of butter and led them cook down on medium heat.  The onions should be transluscent and the carrots tender. 

Add 1/3 cup flour and cook for a minute or two. Make sure to keep that spoon moving!  Add 2 cups of milk and 1 can of chicken broth all at once.  Whisk out any lumps.  Continue to cook on medium high heat until the soup thickens.

Add tons and tons of broccoli; 3-4 cups.  I use fresh broccoli crowns and chop them up fine.  Cook the soup until the broccoli is tender.

Dice up some ham, any type of ham that your family likes.  You can even buy the pre-diced ham to save a little time.  8oz will do the trick.

Add in some cheese.  Today I used american cheese slices; eight of them.  I also like to use Velveeta cheese but I didn't have any on hand.  You can use what ever type of cheese your family likes.  If you go for cheddar or something similar, make sure that the soup does not boil after you add it because it will make the soup stringy and wierd.  Season your creation with salt and pepper.  I wait until the end for this because the salt in the ham and cheese can vary by type.

Serve it in a bowl.  Garnish it with some cheese, bacon, sour cream or our family favorite, Goldfish!

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Ham

1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
6 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 can chicken broth, about 2 cups
3-4 cups broccoli crowns, chopped
8 oz ham, diced
8 slices american cheese
salt and pepper

Combine onion, carrot and butter in a stock pot on medium high heat.  Cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender.  Add flour and cook until lightly brown and nutty, stirring constantly.  Add milk and broth all at once. Whisk out any lumps.  Cook until bubbly and thickened.  Add broccoli and continue to cook until it's tender.  Add ham and stir in cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.



Printable Recipe Here

Chicken and Rice with Vegetables

Everyone is eating healthy these days, so it seems.  But when fall rolls around I still seem to crave those good old fashioned comfort foods: meat and potatoes, hearty soups and dinner casseroles.  Okay, so how do you make those favorite fall foods a little healthier?  Sneak in the veggies!  Thats right, they offer lots of extra flavor and no one even has to know that you've stretched a family favorite with vegetables of all things.

Most of the items in this recipe are staples in our house.  I opt for the 'healthier' version of the creamed soup just to save a few calories but you can use what ever you have on hand.

First, finely chop lots of celery (1/2 cup), mushrooms (1 cup) and onions (1 cup)  You could even throw some carrots in there if you wanted.  No one likes thier chicken and rice casserole to crunch so saute them in a pan with a little olive oil or butter until they are nicely wilted.

Combine your sauteed veggies with the can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of milk and a cup of rice.

Lightly spray a 11"x7" baking dish with olive oil spray.  Arrange 4 pieces of chicken, either legs or thighs, in the bottom of the dish.  I take bone-in chicken thighs and remove the skin. Season them with salt and pepper to your liking. Pour the veggie, soup, milk, rice mixture over the chicken pieces.  Cover the dish with foil and bake the casserole in a 350* oven for 1.5 hours

Remove the foil and sprinkle half of a package of dry mushroom onion soup mix evenly over the top.  Continue baking for 15 minutes more, or until the rice in the center is tender.

 Enjoy a savory homemade comfort food with your family.  The extra vegetables will be just between you and me!

Chicken and Rice with Vegetables, serves 4

1/2 cup celery, chopped 1 cup mushrooms, chopped 1 cup onion, chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 can cream of mushroom soup, reduced cal. 1 can milk 1 cup white rice 4 pieces chicken, dark meat 1 pkg dry mushroom onion soup mix Saute the celery, mushrooms and onion in a pan with a little olive oil or butter until they are nicely wilted. Combine your sauteed veggies with the can of cream of mushroom soup, one can of milk and a cup of rice. Lightly spray a 11"x7" baking dish with olive oil spray. Arrange 4 pieces of chicken, either legs or thighs, in the bottom of the dish. I take bone-in chicken thighs and remove the skin. Season them with salt and pepper. Pour the veggie, soup, milk, rice mixture over the chicken pieces. Cover the dish with foil and bake the casserole in a 350* oven for 1.5 hours. Remove the foil and sprinkle half of a package of dry mushroom onion soup mix evenly over the top. Continue baking for 15 minutes more, or until the rice in the center is tender.

Printable Recipe, serves 4

Printable Recipe, serves 6-8