Seeing as most of the modern world is in the thralls of cold and flu season-- and our family is deep in that thrall-- I felt it would be appropriate and helpful to have some chicken soup up in la casa de Gibson. However, I also wanted something at least leaning towards the exciting side. So Old Mother
It was quick, it was easy, and it is DEEEEEE-LISH. Score. Now, keep in mind, I just grabbed things that I had, and I am an eye-baller by nature. So I will do my best to give as close as possible measurements. Just go with it...
Here's what you need:
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 of an onion, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
One "chunk" of rice noodles
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2-3 cups hot water
3 cups water, boiled and then removed from heat
Small bag of frozen peas
I cooked the thighs in a pan with a little salt, pepper, and onion powder. After they were finished, I took them out of the skillet, let them "rest" on a plate, and then used the same skillet to cook the veggies. (I saved the juices from the chicken and added it to the soup after it was all mixed.) After the chicken has slightly cooled, dice it up to add to the soup in just a few minutes.
In one tablespoon olive oil, saute the carrots, celery, and onion. I usually start with the carrots because they take longer to get soft, then add the celery and onion. Cook until tender and onion starts to be translucent. Then add garlic and cook a little longer (Don't burn your garlic. That is disgusting, in my humble opinion...). Add oregano and soy sauce, stirring well until mixed. Sprinkle dried bouillon and then add the 2 cups of hot water.
In a separate pan, bring the 3 cups of water to a boil, add the "chunk" of noodles and then remove from heat. I covered the pot and left for about 10 minutes. The noodles will soften and start to separate. Once the noodles have cooked, add the vegetable mix (from the other pan/pot) into the noodle pot. Do NOT drain the noodles... you need the water! :) Add in diced chicken and gently stir to incorporate and season to taste. Now, I believe at this point, I sprinkled a little more chicken bouillon into the pot and added just a touch of salt. But just taste it and adjust accordingly. The beautiful thing is that it's soup! So you can add more water if it's too strong (yay for my Keurig that gives me hot water at the touch of a button!!!) or more bouillon if it's not "soupy" tasting enough. And, again with my honesty: I didn't measure all of the water as I was brewing it and dumping it into the pot. I'm just trying to recall through my foggy brain how many "dumps" I did. Just taste it! :) And don't forget to add those drippings from your chicken thighs back into the soup for even more yummy flavor!!!
Once I dished up the soup for my sweet ones, I added some frozen peas to their bowls. The frozen peas cool down their soup without watering it down, thaws/cooks the peas, AND adds a little more veggie action to their meal. Eh, eh, eh... How great is THAT?!
After I took a picture of my soup,
the big kiddos asked me to take a picture of their soup, too.
Ellie said, "It makes me happy!" and Daniel said, "I want to look like I'm chewing."
There are no words for how much I love them.
I did dump the remainder of the bag of peas right into the pot after serving the sweet ones, leaving the soup on simmer before serving myself and my hubby (who actually didn't eat until almost 2 hours later because he was working in the office). It was so yummy. And I actually DID feel better after eating it.
I hope you love it as much as we did. There weren't any leftovers, so I can't tell you how it holds up the next day. However, what I can tell you is that I will definitely be making this again! :)
NOTE: I am aware that I stated "one chunk of rice noodles". Remember, I just used what I had... I had a previously opened package of noodles in a zip-lock bag, so I honestly don't even remember the brand that I used. However, I did weigh the noodles on a food scale before cooking, and the "chunk" weighed 5 ounces. I'm thinking it was half of a package similar to the one linked in the ingredients.
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