food comas

Since I moved to Singapore, one of the most difficult things to adapt to here has been the weather.  Going from the intense humidity outside and the full blast air conditioning inside has revealed my immune system is really not up to par, and sadly I have gotten sick almost on a monthly basis.  During my latest battle with a cough, I was just starting to wean myself off my liquid diet (not the fun kind) and wanted to make some heartier soups to whet my appetite.  I was perusing soup recipes online and like magic, Closet Cooking just happened to publish the Tasty Soups ebook!  There are plenty of fancier soups in the book, but I just wanted something simple and healthy — like a classic chicken noodle soup.

To make chicken noodle soup, you can easily use store-bought chicken broth or stock.  However, I wanted to make my own stock since I wanted freshly cooked chicken to utilize in the soup as well.  I have made my own Chicken Stock several times before, as it is a great way to utilize leftover chicken carcasses and vegetable peelings.  Normally, I would cook a Whole Roasted Chicken first, but I was just too exhausted and so I decided to buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  I used about half of the meat for salads and general snacking, and then I put aside the rest of the meat for my soup.  After stripping most of the meat off the bones, I made my stock by boiling the chicken carcass with water and leftover vegetable trimmings (from the carrots, onions, and celery that would be in the soup later.. also threw in some potato peelings from my breakfast of Corned Beef Hash).  Waste nothing!

This soup is super easy to prepare and deliciously comforting.  While I do love the canned Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, it is always fun to try to make these comfort dishes at home from scratch.  Plus, in Asia, all those imported brand come at a premium anyway…

Chicken Noodle Soup (adapted from Closet Cooking)

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 T oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 C chicken broth or chicken stock
• 2 C cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
• 2 C egg noodles, cooked
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat, add the onions, carrot and celery and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the chicken broth/stock and the shredded chicken.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

I am always a bit fearful of over-soggy noodles so I tend to just keep them separate and only combine right before serving.

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy this warm bowl of goodness!