Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Dorcas Annette Walker

Wintertime not only brings snow days with chilling temperatures, but unfailingly all kinds of germs make their rounds as well. Already up here on the mountain colds and flu have begun their cycle. My pastor and his wife came down with a bad case of cold/flu symptoms close to Christmas. I was planning on sending some goodies their way so decided to also include a batch of homemade chicken soup. Marty called me that evening telling me between croaks how much they enjoyed my soup and homemade noodles asking me for the recipe. Guess what? I didn’t have one. I never thought a body needed a recipe for plain ole chicken soup. Then this week I came down with the sniffles and decided to make up a pot of my chicken soup. This time I stopped to measure my ingredients and wrote them down to share with the rest of you, who use recipes. My husband enjoyed my chicken soup so much that he ate three bowls before he stopped. What better way to start off the New Year with a Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup to help keep you healthy throughout the coming winter months?

My Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is perfect for lunches or as a main meal- just include hot cornbread or muffins. You can substitute leftover turkey for the chicken, use chicken/turkey broth, saved potato or vegetable water, pureed squash or leftover celery, and you can even add diced vegetables if you prefer. Either way this Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup will hit the spot. Preparation time is around 35 minutes and this recipe makes close to one gallon of soup.

Hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

3 c cooked chicken chopped in 1 inch pieces
12 c water
1 tb dried onion or 1 small onion diced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
dash of garlic salt
pepper to taste
homemade noodles

In a large kettle bring to a rolling boil all the ingredients except the noodles. Break noodles into around one inch pieces dropping them in and covering them with the boiling liquid. Boil with a lid on for ten minutes and then let simmer on low until ready to eat. Serve hot and garnish with parsley flakes!

Weekly tip: Homemade noodles! In a small bowl work into a stiff ball: 2 c self-rising flour and 3 large eggs. Roll out very thin on a lightly floured surface. Let sit for 2 hrs. Fold the dough over a couple of times and cut into thin strips with a pizza cutter. Continue to dry until ready to use. To save make sure that the noodles are completely dry before storing in airtight container!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com