Chicken Noodle Soup

I know, I know. Chicken Noodle Soup is something that should be eaten somewhere around November. Or maybe February, but certainly not April. But the past 8 days have been rainy, blustery, sunny (for about 5 minutes), then snowing buckets, then rainy, repeat. I feel more of the winter blues than I did all winter long...and it's supposedly spring around here. Yesterday was actually decent in comparison to the rest, but Caroline's belly was feeling a bit off, and it was cool and windy, so chicken soup seemed the perfect remedy.

I can't stress enough how much better this soup will be if you use decent chicken stock rather than the little bouillon cubes we had on hand yesterday. Good stock makes good soup, especially of the chicken noodle variety. Our version is simple and easy- if you want to make it even faster, buy a prepared chicken at the grocery store and skip the chicken-broiling step. Serve with some crusty bread and stay inside until the sun comes out.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Recipe by twolittlechefs
Pictures by Caroline

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups egg noodles

13 cups chicken stock

2 large chicken breasts, broiled and shredded*

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon sage + 1/8 teaspoon

salt and pepper, to taste

1 1/2 cups peas

1. Heat a large pot on medium high heat and combine butter and oil. Add onion, celery and carrots and sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until onion has softened. 
2. Meanwhile, season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon sage. Broil on high for 10 minutes each side or until cooked. Let chicken cool slightly and then shred with a fork. Set aside.
3. Add chicken stock, chicken, thyme, and sage, and bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes or until the carrots are pleasantly soft. 
4. Add egg noodles and peas. Cook until egg noodles are tender, but not soft (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a crusty bread.