Silky Chicken Noodle Soup

You know how they tell you you have to boil a big ole whole chicken for good chicken soup?  It’s not really true.  You can use chicken breasts and other seasonings and still get a good chicken soup.

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken breasts
10 cups water
3 stalks of celery with leaves still on
an onion cut in half
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
2 Swanson Flavor Boost chicken packets
2 tsp. Lawry’s Chicken and Poultry Rub
8 – 10 oz. wide egg noodles
2 cups of half and half cream

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a stock pot or dutch oven. You can use boneless chicken breasts or bone-in, you will just have to remove bones after it cooks.

If you don’t have Knorr and use the small bouillon cubes you will need to use about 6 of those.  Knorr is really best.  If you don’t have the Swanson Flavor Boost use 2 extra Knorr bouillon cubes.  If you have homemade frozen chicken broth you can add 3 cups instead of this bouillon.  Sometimes I make broth and freeze it ahead.
Bring this to a boil and then reduce to simmer.  Simmer for at least an hour.  Remove chicken to a plate to cool.  Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer.  Pour the clear broth back into the stock pot and add 1 can of cream of chicken soup.  Whisk with a wire whisk to break it down and bring this to a boil.

Add 2 tsp. Lawry’s Chicken and Poultry Rub, if you don’t have this (you must get some because it makes all the difference in the world), but you can substitute 1 tsp. poultry seasoning and 1 tsp. curry powder.

Once it boils add 8 – 10 oz. wide egg noodles.  I usually add about 1/2 of a 16 oz. bag. Shred or chop the chicken into bit size pieces and add it back to the pot.  Bring it back up to a boil then turn it down to low and cover so the noodles and chicken just simmer for about 20 minutes.