Today I’m giving away our secrets. Just this one time, I’m going to share our chicken noodle soup recipe aka the best chicken noodle soup in the world. There are so many variations of chicken noodle soup, but honestly this one became a winner the first time Matt decided to make it – after I tasted it. When he first told me he was blending the veggies into the stock I stopped in my tracks and decided there was no way it could work. I was wrong. So throw out your preconceived notions and give it a try if you dare. It’s worth the extra step to make homemade pasta, which you can do ahead of time and save in the fridge for a day or two. If you don’t have a pasta roller get out some extra patience and prepare for an arm workout. This soup first entered our repertoire back when we were first trying out homemade pasta and rolling it by hand so we’ve been there – and those were some giant, thick noodles (it’s hard to roll it thin by hand). The original recipe comes from Emeril’s Delmonico cookbook, and it has evolved slightly since we started making it, and goes something like this:

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 quarts stock (homemade – see recipe below or use premade to shortcut)

1 c diced celery

1/2c onion finely diced

1 c diced carrot

1 small chicken, butchered or 4 bone-in breasts

1. Add stock to pot with onion + celery and bring to a low boil. Add chicken (bones included) and cook 12-15 min tender and cooked through.

2. Remove chicken and let cool – when cooled remove meat and shred to add to soup later. Strain stock + veggies to separate and reserve.

3. In now empty pot, made roux over medium/low heat: add 1 stick butter and melt, then add 1/2c flour and whisk until it becomes a light brown color.

4. Slowly add the stock slowly to roux and whisk while adding, then simmer. Add reserved veggies and carrots and cook 5 min.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend with a few pulses or transfer to blender in batches to puree.

6. Add shredded chicken to soup and cook for 15 min, finish by adding homemade noodles freshly cooked + enjoy!

Homemade Pasta:

3c all purpose flour

4 eggs

2T olive oil

pinch of salt

1. Add 3 Cups of Flour to a Food Processor

2. Whisk 4 eggs with 2T tbsp of Olive Oil and a pinch or two of salt.

3. Turn on the Food Processor and let run while you slowly add the egg mixture. If the dough seems too dry add a tablespoon at a time of ice water till moist.

4. Remove from food processor and kneed the dough by hand for 10 minutes; cover and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes

5. Take the Dough out bring to room temperature. Roll out the Pasta, cut it shape desired + cook in salted boiling water for appx 3 min (fresh pasta cooks fast!)

Homemade Stock: there’s lots of different ways to make stock, but start here if you don’t know how!

Chicken bones + trimmings from 1 bird

2c celery, chopped

2c carrot, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 qts water

Place all ingredients in pot, bring to a boil and simmer appx 2 hours. Use a colander to separate stock from the extras.

Last week Matt came down with a strange cold/flu mix so it’s not surprise that this week I’m feeling under the weather. As much as it stinks to be sick on a rainy gray day, having some delicious soup to warm me up makes a big difference. This is not a quick easy recipe, but it is one of my favorites and completely worth the work.  It’s our soup of choice on a cold winter day, when we’re feeling under the weather, or when we have some perfect thanksgiving leftovers to incorporate. Since today meets all three of the criteria, well that’s what we’re eating!