Hey everyone. Sorry I’ve been so sporadic lately with new posts. I had totally planned to use August to get my act together and get things all set back up and a routine established in our new house. Bah. Funny girl, I am. We went to a week-long family reunion and brought bronchitis home with us. Before we’d even been home three days, every one in the whole house was sniffly, stuffy, sneezy, and coughing. Basically, just plain not feeling good. It’s always rough when you’re sick, but have you ever tried to run a household and care for two {sick} youngsters too?! Bleh, it’s exhausting!

I was actually well the day after we got home and, almost as a premonition, I made some chicken noodle soup for my ailing hubby. Along with making 3 pints of peach jam and canning 14 quarts of peaches, I made a huge pot. I was intending to feed my parents and sisters as well as thinking my sicky could eat on it the next few days. Little did I know, I’d be sucking it down before the next 24 hours were over…

This stuff is fabulous when you’re sick or on a chilly Autumn day. Soup season is almost here and this is definitely one we keep in our regular rotation. Easy and delicious. It also freezes fantastically. PS… there’s a crock pot version below the stovetop recipe.

Ingredients:
– 2 thawed, boneless chicken breasts or thighs
– 3-4 carrots
– 3-4 stalks of celery
– 3 cups of chicken broth (or 3 chicken bullion cubes and 3 cups of water)
– Noodles of your choice (We love the Homemade Style Egg Noodles. I usually use the Country Pasta Brand). Approximate the amount of noodles depending on whether you like your soup heavy on noodles or heavy on broth.

Directions:
– Chop up your carrots and celery into bite-sized pieces and put them in a large pot.
– Cut your chicken into small pieces and put them in the pot as well.
– Add your chicken broth to the pot.
– Turn the stove on to medium, medium-high heat and cover your pot. Let your veggies and chicken cook for about 20 minutes or so. Check the veggies to see if they are tender, but still slightly crisp. If not cook for another 5 minutes and check again. You still need to cook the pasta, so you don’t want your veggies too tender or they will be mushy by the time your noodles cook. Same goes for veggies too crunchy though. Your noodles will get mushy if you have to cook the veggies for too much longer.
– When the veggies are tender with a little crisp, add your pasta and cook according to the package directions (usually 8-12 minutes) until the pasta is done.
– Let cool and enjoy.

Serves 6-8

* If you notice your broth is getting low, add some more. The egg noodles tend to soak up a lot of liquid, but they sure taste delicious.