Chicken noodle soup is best known for its healing powers when we are sick. And that is so true. Have you ever wondered why? Chicken/beef broth (bone broth) is so good for you. Especially if it’s homemade! I make my own chicken broth now. You don’t get all the benefits out of the broth unless it is homemade. See my Whole-Chicken-in-a-Crock-Pot & Homemade Broth recipe, that includes information on all the health benefits of homemade broth, how to freeze the broth, ideas on what to do with the broth and the leftover chicken. For the chicken noodle soup, you could do rice instead of noodles if you want. I have also added zucchini to mine (shown in the picture below). Since our zucchini has been going crazy in the garden, we add zucchini to everything! 😉 Maybe even some butternut squash? There are many possibilities.
Homemade soup is so much better for you than soup in a can. Soup in a can is never just soup in a can. To name a few added ingredients that are not healthy and shouldn’t be added to soup: MSG, vegetable oil, potassium chloride, soy protein isolate, maltodextrin, sodium phosphate…. These are the ingredients listed in Campbell’s and Progresso chicken noodle soup. Of course none of the ingredients are organic and the meat comes from factory farms. You could make a double-batch of the recipe below and freeze some. Then it would be convenient to grab some out of the freezer and thaw when you are sick, or when you just don’t want to cook. We do have some left after making 1 batch but we eat the leftovers for lunch instead of freezing it. I want to get a Soup Thermos
Ingredients:
- 1 leek or 1/2 – 1 cup of chopped onion
- 3 large carrots
- 2 stalks of celery
- 8 – 10 cups of chicken broth (8 cups is 64 oz)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 TB parsley leaves
- ½ tsp salt (or desired amount)
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups noodles (we like the spiral noodles but you can use any kind)
- 1 – 2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or in small pieces)
- Other options: zucchini, kale/spinach, butternut squash
Directions:
Peel the carrots and chop the onion, carrots, and celery. In a large pot, add the chicken broth, onion, carrots & celery and bring to a boil. While this is cooking start adding in the garlic, herbs & seasonings. Mix well. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 min. Return to a boil and add noodles and chicken, cook about 10 min at a slow boil. Make sure the carrots are tender, then remove from heat and discard bay leaf before serving. It would be really good served with a slice of homemade bread & butter, or a biscuit.
Tip: You could make this in the crock pot right after making your homemade broth. Save a dish. 🙂 (Just get the broth, veggies, onion, garlic, & seasonings going on low until close to the time you want to eat. Then bump it up to high and add the noodles & chicken. Cook for 10 minutes, or until noodles are done.)
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