Chicken noodle soup

Contributed by Preston Maring, MD


Chicken noodle soup

Having grown up on soups from red cans, I made this updated version of an old classic with some of the ingredients from our farmers' market. 

Cipollini onions are great in this soup. 

Use leftovers from an earlier chicken dinner, chicken bought pre-roasted or cooked fresh for the soup. 

Look for carrots at the market with the green tops still attached. The fresh green leaves assure you that the carrots weren't picked a month ago, then peeled and made into small uniform-sized pieces and packaged. 

Do your own double-blind controlled study at home and taste the difference.

So simple and so good. I think you will enjoy this. 

Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 3/4 cup diced onion
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large handfuls of cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon Smart Balance or real butter
  • 2 to 3 chicken breasts
  • 4 ounces fettuccine
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
  2. Rub the chicken with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Using a sauté pan that can fit into your oven, sear the chicken breasts skin-side down over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Turn and sear another 2 minutes.
  3. Turn the breasts back over the skin-side down and finish in the oven for 8 to 15 minutes depending on the size. 
  4. Remove the skin and the chicken from the bone when cooled a bit. Chop into bite-sized pieces.
  5. In a soup pot, sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil to soften a bit. Add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about five minutes. 
  6. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in butter over medium-high heat using a separate skillet. 
  7. Add the chicken, sautéed mushrooms, lemon juice, noodles, and parsley to the soup pot. Bring back to a boil, then simmer for about five minutes until the noodles are al dente. Season with salt and pepper.