Summer colds call for homemade chicken noodle soup with a twist

Two of my three kids are down with summer colds right now so I thought it was the perfect time to make some fresh chicken soup base. I usually make a big batch and use some of it for dinner and then freeze the rest for later. The recipe is super easy and because you use a whole chicken to make the broth you are left with chicken for the week too.

I modified this recipe from one I found in a Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. The recipe can be found at everydayfood.com. I found that the modified version works perfect for my family. I should also mention that I never put salt in my stock. I wait and add the salt when cooking so I can keep it as light as possible.

To make this chicken soup base you will need:

1 whole chicken (I buy the free range chicken at Whole Foods when they are on sale and freeze them to use later)
4 medium carrots, cut into pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into pieces
1 large onion, cut into chunks
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
5 stems parsley (this time I was out of fresh so I used dried)

Place vegetables in a large stock pot with chicken and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 40 or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken and cool for later.

Line a strainer with cheese cloth or a paper towel and place over a pot. Strain out the broth and toss the cooked vegetables.

Your chicken soup base is done. This can be used to make several different soups that I will introduce in future blogs. As I said before I like to freeze a large portion of it for future use.


Now that we have a large supply of chicken soup base we can use a portion of it to make tonights dinner which will be Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup. The recipe is as follows...

In a large pot combine broth with the following: (The seasoning amounts are for the full pot of broth but I usually only use what I need for dinner...however we like the flavors so I still use the same amount of sauce...if you like mellow flavor you can always use less)

3 TBSP fish sauce
4 TBSP soy sauce
Powdered ginger to taste (Fresh ginger is even better if you have it)

Heat until well combined.

In a separate pot cook your noodles.
(I like to use Japanese Udon noodles but you could also use soba noodles or even regular thin spaghetti is you like)

While the broth and noodles are cooking prepare your fresh ingredients:

Chicken (shredded from the chicken we cooked to make the base)
2 scallions thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 jalapeno (optional)
Lime wedges

In each individual bowl combine noodles with chicken and fresh ingredients. Ladle broth over the top and add a squeeze of lime if you wish. Enjoy!

If you like a little spice crushed red pepper flakes or sriracha sauce are a great addition right before you eat it.

This can also be made with firm tofu in place of the chicken (The picture above is made with tofu). Simple saute the tofu in a pan with a little oil and garlic and then add to the soup with the other ingredients.

This soup is a quick dinner if you already have some soup base in the freezer. My family loves it and there are never any leftovers.