Chicken Noodle Soup

It's finally cooling off enough here in Arizona, and we've been enjoying a lot of soup at our house lately. All of us came down with the flu a few weeks ago, so when we were feeling better, my husband said he felt like some homemade chicken noodle soup. I searched the internet for a recipe, and oh. my. goodness. This one is perfection.

The only thing I really changed was the size I cut my veggies. I really wanted it to cook quickly, so I diced the carrots instead of slicing them into 1/2 inch pieces like the recipe called for. That really cut down on the cooking time and would have this soup ready in about 30 minutes from start to finish. Oh, and I made my own noodles. If you're looking for a super quick meal, don't make your own noodles. :) But it sure tasted extra yummy that way!

For the chicken, I just cooked it in a few tablespoons of butter and seasoned each side with salt, pepper and thyme. I took it off the grill when it was still slightly pink so it would finish cooking in the soup and would stay super juicy and moist.

It was so hearty and comforting and yummy. I got a big, fat kiss from my hubby when he was done scarfing down his bowl, which is a sure sign that it was a hit. :) So a huge thank you to Tyler Florence from FoodNetwork for this fantastic recipe! It's definitely a new family favorite that we'll make all the time.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 tablespoon dried thyme (or you can use 4 sprigs fresh)
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock (see our conversion chart on the left hand side!)
8 ounces egg noodles (or you can use 1 recipe homemade noodles)
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 handful parsley, finely chopped

In a large soup pot, cook onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf in olive oil over medium heat. Saute for about 6 minutes, until vegetables are soft but not browned.

Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Then fold in chicken and simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Top each serving with chopped parsley. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf before serving! :)