HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Yesterday, I tried a new recipe out of Cook's Illustrated Soups and Stews, Winter 2010 Magazine.  They are the best magazine for perfecting recipes.  It was originally supposed to be a crock pot recipe but I didn't have time to use a crock pot so I just made it on top of the stove.

The recipe is different from other chicken soup recipes mostly because of the way the chicken is incorporated into it.  The thighs are browned in butter and the chicken was supposed to be wrapped in foil and then placed in with the liquid to cook.  I really did not like the idea of foil being boiled with the soup. It just did not seem very safe to eat after boiling the foil so I decided to wrap the chicken in foil but bake it in the oven for an hour and a half, then take off the bone, chop and add to the soup.  It was really yummy that way because you can season the chicken which brings more flavor to the soup and keeps the chicken from being too tough.

I also added more veggies because I wanted my little grandson, who is scheduled to arrive in March, to get as many as I could fit in this recipe!  You can exchange your favorite veggies for the ones I used.  That's what is great about this recipe, it is really adaptable to each persons likes.

So, without further adieu, here is a great recipe to warm you up on a cold day!

**Sorry there are just a couple of pictures.  I just was not thinking about blogging this recipe while I was cooking it.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

6 - bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
      Table salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
6 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
4 celery ribs, sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 quarts chicken broth (I used 10 cans of Campbells Chicken Broth)
2 bay leaves
4 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts (about 3 pounds)
8 ounces egg noodles
1-16 ounce frozen baby lima beans
1 can Great Northern Beans or any other white bean
1/2 small bag of fresh baby spinach, rough chopped

1.  Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and cook until skin is deep golden brown, turn over and repeat.  Remove thighs from dutch oven.

2.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.  Add carrots, celery, and onions to now-empty pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in garlic, thyme, bay leaves and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add 1 cup of broth to pot and scrape up any browned bits with wooden spoon.  Add the rest of the broth.

3.  Season the chicken breasts.  I used garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Wrap in foil and place in  a 350 degree oven on a cookie sheet for 1-1/2 hours

4.  Remove chicken from oven.  Take chicken out of the foil and place on a tray or plate until they are cool enough to handle.  Shred the chicken and set aside.  Discard skin, bones and excess fat.

5.  Stir in lima beans and cook for 40 minutes.

6.  Add the can of beans and the shredded chicken.

7.  Add egg noodles and cook for specified time on package.

8.  Add the spinach, stir and turn off heat.

9.  Discard the bay leaves.  Serve.

ENJOY!!

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