Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
I'm going to share with you a secret: I have perfected the art of making chicken noodle soup. You're welcome.
Okay, so maybe I'm not a pioneer in this area, but I think the soup is good, and maybe you will too. The best part about this soup is that it is made with rich bone broth infused with leeks and roasted garlic goodness. When our family is hit hard with another round of colds, this recipe is a definite go-to!
So, let's get starter. First gather up your ingredients. I like to use rotisserie chicken and store bought bone broth to help save some prep, because let's face it, when I'm not feeling great, cutting corners is my jam. Okay, cutting corners is usually my jam, but hey, no judgement ;) If you don't like to cut corners, use your homemade broth and shred up your cooked chicken. I won't judge.
Here's what you need:
- 3 heads of garlic
- olive oil
- 3 leeks
- 5-6 medium carrots
- 2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken
- 2, 32 ounce containers of bone broth (or 8 cups homemade)
- 2 cups dry noodles of choice (egg noodles are most commonly used)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Take your whole head of garlic and chop about a 1/4 inch off the top and peel off as much of the flaky outer layer as possible (still keeping the cloves together).
Place each prepared head of garlic in a piece of foil and drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Fold foil up over each head of garlic and place on cookie sheet. Bake for about a 1/2 hour or until tender.
While the garlic is roasting, prepare the rest of the soup. Start with the leeks by chopping off the bottom portion of the leek that is mostly white. You are basically chopping off the leafy portion. You will not use the leaves in this recipe. Chop off the roots at the base as well. If you aren't familiar with leeks, they are part of the onion family, but they have a very mild flavor.
Next, cut each leek in half lengthwise. This will allow you to easily clean the dirt out from between the layers by running it under tap water. Then chop up all 3 leeks into small pieces and set aside. Peel and chop your carrots into small pieces and set aside.
Grab a large soup pot and heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once heated add the leeks and carrots and saute for a few minutes.
Now add the rest of your ingredients (minus the garlic) and stir. When the garlic is tender, remove from oven and allow to cool while the soup simmers. Once the garlic heads are cool enough to handle, grab the head by the base and sides and gently squeeze out the roasted cloves.
Using a fork, mash the roasted garlic into a paste.
Add the roasted garlic to your soup. I like to use a whisk to incorporate the garlic paste a little better. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes more and then serve it up!
So, the next time you get hit with a cold, or maybe you just get hit with a chicken noodle soup craving, I hope you will give this recipe a try. Thanks for stopping by!
-Amy
