Everyone in our house was sick over the weekend. And the weather started to mellow out and get a little cooler so it was the perfect time for SOUP!

But I wasn’t interested in going out to the store in my flannel jammies to get a canned of overly salty, floppy-sad-stringy-noodled chicken soup. So looked in the freezer, fridge and pantry and decided I was going to whip up something from scratch.

This was the easiest soup to make and man was it good. Even The Doc said he was impressed by how it tasted. (He’s not much of a soup eater.) The Wee Beasts ate it up, veggies and all, so it must have been something special. Here’s the recipe:

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (To Cure a Cold)

2 stalks of celery diced (include some of the leaves!)

1 cup diced parsnips

1 cup pre-shredded carrots (or dice some big carrots)

3 green onions, finely diced (or 1/2 cup onion if you don’t have green onions)

4 cloves garlic minced

8-10 cups of chicken broth/stock

A few sprigs of thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

About 1/3 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like the heat and don’t have kidlet tastes to account for)

3 frozen chicken breasts

1 cup orzo pasta

Here’s how you throw it together:

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a stock pot, then throw in the veggies minus the garlic. Sprinkle on a bit of salt to help the veggies sweat and release their juices. After 4-5 minutes, when the onion is getting translucent, add in the garlic. Stir it around and let it cook for about a minute to get some of the raw flavor off the garlic but don’t let it burn.

Then pour in all of the chicken broth or stock. If you don’t have 8-10 cups in the pantry, use what you have and make up the rest in plain water. You have enough going on with the veggies to end up with plenty of flavor. I threw in a few sprigs of thyme that I had, but you could use dried or any other herb of your choice. Rosemary would be good. Also add the bay leaves, sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, and you can grind some fresh black pepper in to boost the flavor profile a bit.

Bring the soup up to a low boil and slip the frozen chicken breasts into their hot bath. This basically poaches the chicken, leaving it completely cooked and super moist in about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take the chicken out and set it aside to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, add in the pasta. While it is cooking, shred or chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add it back to the soup pot.

Test the flavor of the broth and adjust with a little more salt or pepper if needed. Then get yourself a big bowl and ladle some of your soup in. Breathe in the steam and just feel yourself starting to get better. Ahhhhh, that’s why chicken soup is good for your soul and for your cold.

Are you feeling better yet? Everyone in our house did. Homemade chicken noodle soup. It’s a good thing.