Quick and Comforting Chicken Soup

Some days I just need some good old fashioned comfort food. After a long day spent working, running kids from here to there, and 100's of other things in between, I need something comforting and soothing. This chicken soup recipe is made just for those days.

This soup only take 30 minutes to fix and heat. Everything is in my pantry ready and waiting just for these occasions. All I need to do is mix them up, add some spices, simmer, and then sit back and relax with a bowl full of warm hugs. Add in a few crackers and a salad and you have a great meal for the family.

This is also one of those recipes that you can mix and match according to what leftovers you have on hand. You can even use that frozen bag of veggies you have been collecting if you have been following my helpful hints. Just pop it in the microwave to thaw for a minute or two, then add them into the soup. Or this soup is great with just the chicken and egg noodles! That is my favorite way of fixing it. I like keeping it simple with the noodle and chicken. The plus side to this recipe is that it makes enough to have for several meals...one night of cooking and two-three nights of dinner...what could be better than that?

Chicken Noodle Soup (with veggies if you desire)

2 cans of chicken (with the juice) or 2 c cooked chicken

1 bag of extra wide egg noodles

8 c chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp thyme

3 Tbl dried parsley

*veggies if desired (corn, green beans, lima beans, carrots, mushrooms...)

I use a very large stock pot. Add all of the ingredients to the pot. When I put in the canned chicken, I take time to break up the clumps of chicken. I prefer to have small pieces in each spoonful instead of a large bite of chicken every now and then. 

Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer covering the pot with a lid. Stir every few minutes so the noodles and chicken do not stick on the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes.