Recipe Collection: Snow Means SOUP! - Real Food Chicken Noodle Soup

The picture quality on all these is terrible because I was using my 3 year old's adventure camera.

It poured snow - much to our surprise -yesterday. The girls loved watching it and I loved the chance to get my feet up a little more when I wasn't nesting.  But what is a cold, snow day without a little Chicken Noodle Soup? Here's my recipe! (With process photos this time!)

Real Food Chicken Noodle Soup

Allergen Information:
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free*

Preparation Time:
20-30 minutes

Cook Time:
2-3 hours to simmer

Total Time:
3.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 pounds of organic (local preferred but I used Trader Joe's this time) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• One yellow onion - diced
• One fennel bulb - diced
• 4-5 stalks of celery (depending on size) - thinly sliced
• 4-5 carrots  (depending on size) - thinly sliced
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp herbs de Provence type blend
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 2tbsp butter
• Real Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 package organic brown rice Fusilli pasta

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a cast iron pot or dutch oven, add 2 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter. Set the heat to simmer and let those warm together.
2. Dice your onion. Add it to the pot of warm oil and butter and let them simmer.

3. Dice your fennel bulb and add it to your onions. Give it all a good stir.

4. Slice your carrots and add them to the pot. Stir them well.

5. Thinly slice your celery stalks. Add them to the pot with 2nd tbsp of butter and a little salt and pepper. Stir.

6. Cut your chicken thighs into big chunks and add them to the pot.

7. Add your 1st tbsp of herbs and stir.

8. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, salt, pepper and the 2nd tbsp of herbs.

9. Next, add two more cups of broth. Cover the pot and switch the element to 2.

10. Let the pot sit until the soup begins to simmer. After an hour, add two more cups of chicken broth.

11. Stir the soup every hour or so. After the soup is done, it's time for the noodles.

12. I tried a new technique this time and was much more satisfied with the result. I cooked the Fusilli in a separate pot for 8 minutes so that it was slightly al dente.  I then added 1/2 of the cooked noodles to the pot of soup slowly.

13. I let it sit in the soup for 5 minutes, then turned off the heat.  

14. I let the noodles sit in the pot while I finished up some sides (biscuits and applesauce) and then dished everyone up.

** Egg may appear in your noodles- always check your labels for allergen information.


YUMMY! What a GREAT dinner on a gusty and cold wintry night!

Miss Roo approved....

As did a camera shy Miss Moo...

Are there any favorites that you make in your house on cold, wintry nights?