The smell of chicken soup emanating throughout the house brings back many fond memories. My mom was the best chicken soup maker. I think she would be impressed with my version of chicken soup. I like making all different types of soups some zesty, chunky, smooth & silky, vegetable-based, beef, lentil or chick-pea or split pea-based, you name it I love soup. Please look through all of my soup recipes on my blog. I also have a wonderful collection of soups in each of my cookbooks.

This is a hearty meal in one pot. I cook the noodles in the same pot and the starch from the noodles makes the broth very thick. My kids LOVE this. My older daughter, Maggie would eat a large bowl of this after a long cheerleading or lacrosse practice. She likes piling up the Chinese noodles on the top of the bowl of soup. It gives the soup a nice crunch and texture.

One of the important building blocks to a good soup is good quality chicken and good quality olive oil. I tend to buy store-bought broth because it’s easier. I don’t buy the less sodium version because it will impact the taste of the soup. The vegetables that you put into your soup will largely depend on what your family likes. Some suggestions are: carrots, celery, onion, spinach, swiss card, sweet corn, and in the colder months potatoes and parsnips. Depending upon where you live in the world, there are a variety of other vegetables you may choose. For herbs I love thyme, cilantro or even dill. You can bundle the herbs with kitchen string and let them swim in the soup. When the soup is done you can fish them out and discard.

Here are the directions for making heart warming and comforting chicken soup.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bake 2 large pieces of split chicken breast bone-in with the skin on for about 30-40 minutes. Cut through it to check that the juices run clear and use a instant read thermometer to check internal temperature. You can follow my directions for Rosemary Roasted Chicken However,  if you are pressed for time buy a rotisserie chicken ~ great for soups!

While the chicken is in the oven, you can prepare the base of your soup.

Add a drizzle of olive oil into a medium-sized pot. Keep heat on low. In the meantime, dice 1 medium-sized Vidalia onion, and saute until translucent. While this is cooking, rinse, peel and dry and 3 large carrots and 4 celery stalks. Dice them into tiny bite-size pieces, and add to the pot with a little more olive oil sea salt and black pepper, and let these cook about 20 minutes. In Italian, they call this a soffritto: carrots, onions, celery as the base of soups and sauces. You’ll want to stir this continuously and be sure they do not brown,  it will change the taste of your soup.

By now, the chicken is done. Using a clean cutting board, shred the chicken with 2 forks, and set it aside. I take the skin off and leave it for my girls who love crunchy skin. Be sure you go through the meat thoroughly to get rid of all the bones.

After the carrots and celery become tender, add 2 containers of chicken broth to the pot. Then, add the chicken, baby spinach, sweet corn, chopped dill, and a drizzle of olive oil to the pot. This is what my family likes. It’s a really nice combination and very nourishing and packed with vitamins! Feel free to add some turmeric for added healthy benefits or some bundles fresh herbs.

After the soup has simmered about 1 hour or so, you can add noodles right into the pot. Let the noodles cook about 20 minutes. I like Manischewitz Noodles or of course you can make your own handmade noodles. If you prefer more broth in your soup, cook the noodles separately and add to each bowl as needed.  This soup has an amazing flavor. I promise your family will love it!