Chicken Noodle Soup

As a kid, my husband’s mother would heat up the famous canned chicken noodle soup and give it to him when he was sick.  We know the bit.  1.  Empty soup can into bowl.  2.  Fill can with water.  3.  Add to soup.  4.  Heat and serve.  Well, he grew up with only steps 1 and 4.  Can we say sodium overload?  Ever since  I’ve known him, he has always kept a can of this soup available for times he gets sick.  

I can’t stand the stuff.  Aside from the taste and sodium, the ingredient list is just too unnatural for my taste.  I have attempted to change him but we all know how that turns out.  (Note: It doesn’t work, friends.)

Well, that is until he tried to feed it to my sick baby.  Before my death ray stare became an all out smack down, he put the spoon down.  I went through the reasons I don’t want my child to eat this soup.  I argued that I could make it better.  He was still nostalgic.  Then, I offered him hard proof.  I asked what he thought of the chicken in his soup.  He started fishing around for a piece and found red/pink unidentifiable pieces of “chicken” floating around.  Then, he put his spoon down and has never had another bite/slurp of that soup.

In an effort to smooth his harsh defeat, I made him homemade chicken noodle soup.  With a much better ingredient list, this soup offers the same comfort and full flavor, with minimal effort.  My husband asks for it all the time – sick or not.  And, this way he can feed the baby all he wants.

Chicken Noodle Soup

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1/2 lb chicken breast, chopped
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups cup egg noodles
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, more to taste

Directions:

1.  In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil.  Add the onions, garlic celery and  carrots, and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the chicken to the vegetables and saute in the pot for about 3 minutes.  You really just want to get a good saute and browning on the outside.  
2. Add the broth, noodles, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4. Add more salt and/or pepper, if needed.