Chicken Breast Recipes

There is nothing like a good old-fashioned chicken soup recipe.  I think everyone needs at least one good chicken soup recipe to prepare when someone is sick, or just as a nice comforting meal on a cold day.

This chicken soup recipe is in two parts and total times takes about 6-8 hours to make.  The firs part consist of making the chicken broth and the second part is putting the soup all together.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Stock:
3 chicken breasts (you will want ones with skin and bones)
1 bay leave
½ onion
1 large carrot
Salt, pepper and garlic powder

Soup:
1 lb of carrots
1 bunch of celery
1 large onion
8 oz baby portabella mushrooms
3 medium kale leaves
8 oz egg noodle
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp coriander
2-4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2-3 cans of chicken broth (optional)

Stock Directions:
Put your chicken in an 8-qt stock pot and fill about ¾ of the way with water.  Add salt and pepper to your taste and about 1 t of garlic powder.  Then add the bay leave, onion, and carrot.  If you need to cut the carrot in half then that’s fine.  Bring this to boil, cover and reduce heat to a low-medium simmer.  Let cook for 2-4 hours until the chicken is tender and falling off the bones.

Once done, remove the chicken from the pan and let cool on cookie sheet or in a bowl.  (The cookie sheet will just let it cool faster.)  You want it cool enough that you can handle it easily.

Put the liquid in the pot through a strainer to remove the bay leave and the excess chicken garbage. (Make sure you keep the liquid.)  Let the broth cool and then refrigerate for 4-6 hours, until the fat has started to solidify at the top.

Meanwhile cut the chicken into cubes whatever size you like and then place in fridge.

Soup Directions:
Wash and chop all the vegetables to bite size pieces.

Then skim the fat off the top of the chicken broth and return it to the stock pot.  Add chili powder, coriander and the red pepper if you want it.  Then salt and pepper to taste.  Bring this to a boil; then add the prepared vegetables.  Cover and reduce to a simmer for about 2 hours.

When veggies are almost soft then cook the egg noodles in water until al dente (or almost done.)  Then rinse them in cold water to prevent them from sticking.

Then add the chicken and noodles to the broth.  At this point if there is not enough liquid add ½ can of chicken broth to the soup until desired consistency is reached.  Cover and let cook for another 10-15 minutes and the serve.