Chicken Noodle Soup

When the mercury dips down, my kitchen gets steamy.  I love hot soup dishes, and this is one that I make during cold days.  It's hearty, it's meaty, and it's packed with flavor, yet it's so easy to make.



With the holidays fast approaching, this is one good soup to serve and one that you can make out of left over ham bone.  So let's get to it, shall we?


Ingredients:


Serves 3-4


1/4 chicken breast
3/4 cup dry small elbow macaroni noodles
2 tablespoons cooking oil
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped onions
Heavy whipping cream
A few pieces of ham (diced)
Ham bone (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste


Procedure:


1.  In a small pot, submerge the chicken just enough so the water is just about the same level as the top of the chicken breast.  Bring to a boil on medium heat until the chicken breast is cooked. Remove the chicken breast from the pot, set on a plate until cool to the touch.  Shred the chicken into strips by hand.  Remember to save the chicken broth.


2.  Cook the elbow macaroni according to package instructions.  When cooked, remove the cooked macaroni from the pot.  Transfer the pasta water into a heat resistant bowl.


3.  Using the same pot, set the heat to medium.  Wait for the pot to dry completely before adding the oil, to avoid splatter and possible injury.  Saute the garlic until golden brown.  Add in the onions and quickly saute for only a few seconds.  I love the crunch of onions that's why I don't saute it for a long time.  Carefully add in the chicken broth, and the shredded chicken.  Add in the cooked elbow macaroni and the diced ham.  You can use the pasta water to add more liquid for the soup.


4.  Add cream to desired creaminess.  Season with salt and pepper.  I prefer this soup to be on the spicy side so I use a lot of pepper.


Tip:  For a bigger batch, you can add the ham bone while boiling the chicken.  You can leave the bone in the pot of soup so it steeps in the ham bone flavor.  I used leftover ham from a party I attended recently.  In the absence of ham, you can use bacon.  Cook the bacon first and add it to the soup.  Enjoy!  -GG-