I, like most other crummy (and lazy) cooks, rely heavily on cheats to make dinners that are edible. Things like bouillon cubes and pre-made sauces are what usually make my meals passable. Once in a while, however, I find a recipe that looks so simple even I couldn’t screw it up (even though I manage it anyway).
A few days ago I came across this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Budget Bytes. Beth’s inexpensive and simple recipes can
make a kitchen noob feel like a top chef. She makes broth look so easy, and to be fair, it absolutely was. So where did I go wrong? I had no egg noodles, so instead, I used orzo … lots of orzo … some might say too much orzo … okay, EVERYONE would say too much orzo. It sucked up all of my yummy broth, and I was near tears seeing all of my hard work go down the drain. 😦 The good news is that I’m fairly confident that I can make a kick-ass chicken noodle soup next time. Not only that, I no longer need things like pre-made broths or bouillon cubes as a crutch. Broth is both easy and fun to make!
For the record, my not-really soup was still super tasty. Hubby actually devoured it, and he’s not one to fake it. I can’t wait to give this another shot. Thank you to Budget Bytes for the constant inspiration! The original recipe is copied below. Mangia!
HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
PREP TIME
15 mins
COOK TIME
1 hour 30 mins
TOTAL TIME
1 hour 45 mins
Total Cost: $10.44
Cost Per Serving: $1.31 (1.5 cups each)
Serves: 8 (12 cups total)
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
1 medium yellow onion $0.37
3 cloves garlic $0.24
½ lb. carrots $0.49
½ bunch celery $0.83
2 split chicken breasts (bone-in) $6.64
1 tsp dried basil $0.10
1 Tbsp dried parsley $0.15
½ tsp dried thyme $0.05
1 whole bay leaf $0.15
Freshly cracked pepper $0.05
2-3 tsp salt $0.05
6 oz. egg noodles $1.00
INSTRUCTIONS
Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a large pot and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
While the onion and garlic are sautéing, wash and slice the carrots and celery. Add them to the pot and continue to sauté for a few minutes more.
Pull the skin and any excess fat from the chicken breasts. Add the breasts to the pot along with the bay leaf, basil, parsley, thyme, some freshly cracked pepper, and eight cups of water. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour. Make sure the pot continues to simmer for the whole hour. If the heat is turned down too low and it is not bubbling away, the chicken will not shred easily.
After an hour of simmering, remove the chicken from the pot. Using two forks, pull the meat from the bone and shred it slightly. Season the broth with salt. Begin with one teaspoon and add more to your liking. I used 2-3 teaspoons. The flavor of the broth will really pop once the salt is added.
Add the noodles to the pot, turn the heat up to high, and boil the noodles until tender (about 7 minutes). Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Taste and season again with salt if needed (I didn’t need to). Serve hot!
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