Healing Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup
This Healing Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup is a classic, soothing dish made from rich homemade chicken stock, tender shredded chicken, fresh vegetables, and comforting noodles. Perfect for warming up on chilly days or nursing colds, it has a timeless, nourishing quality.
Ingredients
- 1 whole raw chicken or 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3-5 carrots chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 quarts water or chicken broth
- Wide egg noodles or your choice of noodles
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
- Butter and olive oil for sautéing vegetables
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large stockpot, cover with water or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours to make the broth.
- Remove chicken, let cool slightly, shred meat, discard bones.
- In a separate large pot, melt butter with olive oil, sauté onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until tender.
- Add homemade chicken broth, dried herbs, salt, and pepper to sautéed vegetables.
- Bring to boil, add shredded chicken and noodles, cook until noodles are tender (about 10-15 minutes).
- Adjust seasoning, garnish with fresh parsley if desired, and serve warm.
Notes
Simmering the broth low and slow yields the richest flavor and healing properties. Use homemade broth when possible for best results. Noodles can be replaced with rice for variation.