Chicken Noodle Soup

 

This heart-warming soup is sure to delight on cool fall or winter evenings. It soothes the soul!

2 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil

1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin

1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

64 oz. (8 cups) regular or low sodium chicken broth + more for more soupy soup

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. pepper

12 oz. wide egg noodles

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used canned but a rotisserie chicken would be delicious!)

3-4 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

salt to taste

In a big pot or Dutch oven (or French casserole, they are sometimes called) saute carrots, celery and onion. Add garlic and saute 1-2 more minutes.  Add chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper and bring to a boil.  Allow to boil 5 minutes or until veggies are fork tender. Add egg noodles and boil 10 minutes until noodles are soft. Add chicken, parsley and lemon juice. Boil 1-2 minutes. Taste soup and add salt if needed. 

Notes: Since I used regular chicken broth, I didn't need to salt it much at the end. I found this to be less "soupy" than I like so I added extra broth. I suggest adding at least 2-4 more cups of broth if you like very soupy soup like I do for chicken noodle soup. I found this to be pretty thick, hearty and "noodly", which some may like more.