As far as soups go, as it is officially soup season with the cold, wet rain in Arkansas, this is by far the best we’ve ever had. It’s an old Paula Deen recipe that is both comforting and delicious. There is nothing you can do to improve it.
The Lady’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Adapted from/photo courtesy www.pauladeen.com
Ingredients
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
3 cloves minced garlic
1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb) cut up whole chicken
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
3 1/2 quarts water
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced with leafy green tops celery
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
3 tablespoons chopped, plus more fresh parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup cooking sherry
1 cup sliced rinsed and drained mushrooms
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Season salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
for serving crusty French bread
Directions
For the stock: Add bay leaves, bouillon, onion, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic, chicken, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and water to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin and cartilage. Set chicken aside.
For the soup: Bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.
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