February 1, 2012

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Heart-Shaped Carrots





Ah, Chicken Noodle Soup - A universal comfort food, and the best cure to a bad cold.  Gotta love it.  I know I do.  

Homemade chicken noodle soup has nothing on the stuff from the can.  You need a microscope to find the chicken in that stuff.  You certainly don't need one here - this contains one whole chicken's worth of meat.  This is one that certainly won't leave you hungry at the end of the bowl.  

This recipe is the best I have made - and if you have leftovers, it freezes wonderfully.  You can do so in freezer bags, or in my method for freezing individual servings.






To make this one a little more special - whether it's for the upcoming Valentines Day - or just for any other time when you want an extra touch. With a few strokes, you can transform normal sliced carrots into the cutest little hearts to adorn your soup with.  






How cute is that??






It's simpler than it looks too.  Here's a little tutorial to help you along.

After peeling your carrots, cut them in half or even into thirds if you have extremely long carrots.  It's easier to do in smaller pieces.  Now, make a slanted cut into one side of the carrot with a sharp knife all the way down to the opposite end.  Like this.





Now, do the same thing on the other side, making a 'V'.








Make 2 small slanted cuts on each side of the bottom to make the rounded bottom more of a sharp, pointed edge - making the bottom of your heart.




That's it.  All done.  Adorable, right?






Now, on to the recipe for this fantastically delicious Chicken Noodle Soup.






Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole cut up fryer chicken
  • 3 whole carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 16 ounces egg noodles (dried or try homemade)

Instructions:

Cover chicken in 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With 2 forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can.  Set aside.  Return the bones to the pot & simmer in the broth for 1 hour.  

Remove the bones from the pot with a slotted spoon, taking care to not leave any small ones behind.

Add the carrots and celery to the pot, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine & simmer for 20 minutes.  

Increase the heat to medium high and add the chicken.  Cook for 10 minutes. Add in the egg noodles, and cook for 10 more minutes.  

Serve and enjoy.







MrsHappyHomemaker

Check out all the great blog parties that I link up with!

.

--> Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...