chicken noodle soup

Ed has been sick this entire past week, which has not been fun for either of us. When Ed gets sick, he"s just like a little kid. He asked me for a milkshake and soup. Well, we went to McDonald's for the milkshake, and I took care of the soup.

The basis of any good soup is good stock, which then becomes good broth. I like to make mine from scratch because it's just better. Everything takes like what you put into the soup. In the case of this basic chicken noodle, I eventually would serve it with chicken, onion, celery and carrot, so I use celery, onion and carrot for the stock.

After the stock has been simmering for about 30 minutes, I add the chicken thighs. I prefer the dark meat because it stays juicer, and because it usually comes bone it. You can always use chicken breast if you would like, though.

I simmer everything together for about an hour, or more. After this, you have a delicious base for your chicken noodle soup. Remove the stock ingredients and allow them to cool.

After the chicken has cooled, pick it apart and get all the meat. I use different diced carrot, celery and onion when I make my final soup, so I dice them, add them to the stock and add various spices like salt, paprika and celery seed and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes.

After I've thrown in the chicken for the second time, I also add garlic that's been minced so that the garlic flavor is subtle, and not over powering. After this has boiled for about 15 minutes, I add the noodles.

I always, always, always use eggs noodles in the chicken noodle soup because the have the best texture in the stock, for me at least. Use whatever noodle you would like, but nothing too thick. At this point, the only thing that has left to happen is the noodles need to boil until al dente- about 8-10 minutes. This is sure to help cure anything that ails you!

Chicken Noodle Soup
3 lbs skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion
6 carrots, peeled
4 ribs of celery
10 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 hand fulls medium egg noodles

In a large stock pot, combine 10 cups of water, 1/2 of a large onion, 3 carrots that have been peeled and 2 ribs of celery (including tops). Boil for 30 minutes and then add chicken thighs. Boil this for an additional 30 minutes. Remove everything from liquid using a slotted spoon and allow to cool. Meanwhile, dice 3 carrots, the remaining onion and celery and add it to the stock. When chicken is cool, pick the meat from the bone and add it back into the stock along with the minced garlic and spices. Cook this for an additional 30 minutes. Add noodles and cook until they are al dente. Serve hot, along side crackers. Enjoy!