Chicken "Noodle" Soup

Cough...Sniff...Ach-OOO... Yep, the flu that has been going around at work has finally caught up with us. When Adrienne texted me yesterday to say she wasn't feeling well, I was already feeling kinda funky myself. After I got off work, I knew what I had to do. I threw a chicken, some celery, carrots and kale into my shopping basket and headed home. I swirled together a quick chicken stock in one pot, sauteed my veg in another, and in about an hour and a half I had a big steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup ready to eat.

We've replaced most of our white flour pasta reserves with whole wheat pasta. For awhile now I've been getting pasta from Litteri's and this past weekend we drove over to their market with one goal in mind: a couple of their hot and simple meatball subs. We came home with subs, yes, but we also ended up with a big box of goodies including more pasta, wine, cheese, canned tomatoes, anchovy paste, a squeeze bottle of roasted yellow pepper finishing sauce, and more. Definitely check this place out if you're in DC, but beware... you could go as crazy as we did!

Anyway, so, when I was rummaging around in the pantry, I came across these whole wheat pasta shells to use in the soup instead typical noodles. I like shells because they give the soup a satisfying toothy bite plus they're small enough to spoon in one bite with less slurping than traditional noodles.

The upside is that whole wheat pasta is better for you; the downside is that the pasta tends to break up after soaking in the broth for awhile. You could certainly cook the pasta separately and add it to individual bowls to keep it intact, but I just let the pasta do what it was going to do.

There's nothing better than a big steaming bowl of brothy soup on a cold day to warm you down to your toes. And if you're feeling a little under the weather, this traditional chicken soup with a little noodle twist is bound to soothe your aching throat.

Now where'd I put that big box of tissues?

Chicken "Noodle" Soup
Makes 6 servings

8 cups chicken stock (see below for recipe if making your own)
2 lbs chicken breast and leg quarters
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup onions, small dice
1 cup kale, chopped in short ribbons (I like Dinosaur Kale)
1 cup whole wheat pasta shells (or whatever pasta you like)
salt and pepper to taste hot sauce to taste (optional)

Quick Chicken Stock

2 lbs chicken breast and thighs, skin removed
1 onion, halved
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
water to cover, about 8 cups

1. Make a quick chicken stock by adding raw chicken, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves and pepper to a stock pot and cover with water, about 8 cups. Bring to a near boil then turn down and simmer for an hour. Skim stock of as much fat as possible, then strain stock and reserve chicken pieces. When chicken has cooled, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

2. Alternately, if you are using prepared chicken stock, put raw chicken into the cold stock and bring just to a boil. Cover, turn off heat, and let sit for about ten minutes. Pull out cooked chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

3. While the stock simmers, saute onion, celery, and carrot in olive oil in a dutch oven on low until soft but not browned. Add stock, cooked chicken, kale, pasta and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

Turkey Stock: A Perfect Substitute

If you're like me, you've been standing in the kitchen for the past two days. You're ready to take time off from the stove and hibernate with your turkey sandwiches and pecan pie for as long as you can stand it. We totally understand. But there's one thing left to do and in a month or so when you're in the thick of soup-simmering season, you'll be glad you went this extra mile.

Once you and your family have whittled down, used, and abused that turkey in every way possible, we invite you to turn on that burner once more. Don't take that carcass and toss it in the trash. Take it and turn up the heat! Honestly, is there any other occasion where you know you're going to have turkey bones lying around? Turkey bones perfect for making stock? Stock that would be perfect to use whenever a recipe asks for chicken broth!? We thought you'd see it our way.

Basic Turkey Stock
Makes about 3 quarts
1 turkey carcass, stripped of the meat, if possible
1 raw turkey neck, if you have one reserved from yesterday's bird
1 onion, halved
2 carrots, chopped in half
3 celery stalks, halved
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch parsley stems
cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves

1. Toss the turkey carcass and neck in a big stock pot along with the rest of the ingredients above.

2. Fill the pot with about a gallon of cold water, then turn heat to low and simmer for an hour or two or even up to four hours.

3. Strain the broth and cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge or freezer. The broth will keep for two or three days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for six months.

Need a few tips for storing and freezing stocks or soups? Click here for pointers!