This post sort of includes two recipes, not just one. Last weekend, they were having a buy-one-get-one-free sale on large packages of chicken breast at my local Safeway, so I bought two packages. To make sure it all got used up and nothing went to waste, I decided to make some cooked chicken for use in other recipes. So the first recipe is just chicken.
Chicken for Recipes
Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 clove garlic
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
Water
Directions:
Place chicken breasts in a 4 ½ quart pot and cover with water. Add chopped garlic clove, parsley, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Pour off broth into a container for use in chicken soup. Fill pan with cold water to cool chicken. Chop cooled chicken into bite size pieces. One half will be used for soup, and the rest can be used for chicken alfredo or chicken and rice. I put my extra in a ziplock bag and put it in the freezer for next week.
Some people might think that soup isn’t hardy enough for dinner. But this soup is definitely filling and nutritious. The egg noodles are the best part, but you have to be careful with them because they expand a lot. The first time I made soup with dry egg noodles, there was hardly any room in the pan for anything else! When you first add them to the broth, it looks like it won’t be enough, but trust me that 4 handfuls is plenty. This recipe made enough for three of us for dinner, plus a leftovers lunch for me. Mmmmm.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
Reserved broth from boiling chicken
2 cans chicken broth
2 – 3 cans water
4 handfuls dry egg noodles
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
6 oz shredded carrots or 2 large carrots chopped
1 can white beans
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Put broth in a 4 ½ quart pot. Add noodles and bring to a boil. Add onion and carrots. Boil for 15 – 20 minutes or until noodles are slightly tender. Add chicken, beans, herbs, and enough water to cover everything. Continue to cook over medium heat for another 10 – 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers or biscuits. (I served it with refrigerator biscuits.)