Chicken Noodle Soup

I love chicken noodle soup.  My mom makes an amazing homemade chicken noodle soup, complete with handmade noodles and the whole works!  But, of course, it takes a good deal of time to make, and so tonight I made another of my favorite chicken noodle soup recipes - given to me by my friend Jenny several years ago.  This recipe is completely easy and quick, and I love that it is a twist on the traditional chicken noodle recipe.  The recipe calls for some milk at the very end, making this flavorful soup a bit creamy.  I love it!

Quick and Yummy Chicken Noodle Soup

• 4 chicken breasts
• 3 – 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves 
• 1 pkg egg noodles
• 1 tsp salt (I usually cut this amount in half.)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2-3 chicken bullion cubes
• 2 c. milk (I use skim)

Place chicken in a large pot. Add water to pan, enough to cover chicken. Add celery, carrots, onion, bay leaf, and whole cloves. Simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken and cut into cubes. Add chicken back to pan with egg noodles. Add salt, pepper, and bullion cubes. Cook 8 – 15 minutes until noodles are cooked. Add milk to make soup creamy. Heat through. Remove bay leaf and cloves and serve.

And just in case you are the in the mood for some real chicken noodle soup, and you have some extra time on your hands, here is my mom's incredible recipe!

Mom’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

• 1 whole chicken
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. milk
• flour
• diced carrots
• diced celery
• salt and pepper
• chicken bullion (maybe)

Rinse chicken well. Boil the whole chicken in a large pot for one hour and leave in hot water for a while longer. When cooked through, take it out of the pan. Cool. Pull all the meat off the bones and chop the meat into small pieces. Throw away bones. Save the broth for later.

Make the noodles by beating the eggs, salt, and milk. Begin adding flour, stirring constantly with a fork, until there is enough flour so that the dough is no longer sticky to the touch. Roll the dough out on a pastry cloth and use a pizza cutter to slice into strips. Coat noodles on both sides with flour. Bring the broth from earlier to a boil. Drop the noodles into the boiling broth. Add diced carrots and celery (optional). If there is not enough liquid, add a cup of water and one chicken bullion cube. Let boil until the noodles are cooked. Turn the heat off and add the cooked chicken while still hot. Salt and pepper to taste! Yummy!