Equipment needed:

8 qt. stock/soup pot and cover
3 or 4 quart soup pot
ladle
cutting knife
cutting board

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut up
3 12 oz. cans fat-free chicken broth
1 lb bag carrots
1 large onion
1 bunch celery
1 8 oz. package baby Portabella mushrooms
3 medium leaves kale
8 oz egg noodles
salt
freshly grated black pepper
1 bay leaf
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp coriander
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Beth's Comment: This is my super-affordable chicken noodle soup! The estimated cost of this entire meal is $15-20 depending on local grocery costs. This soup offers 10-15 servings, so 1 batch lasts almost an entire week of lunches and dinners for two people. The only downside is that the entire recipe takes about 6 hours to make. I usually make this soup two separate nights after work. This allows me to cook the chicken and chop all the vegetables one night. The second night, the broth is cool enough to skim off fat and finish off the soup.

Preparation:

1st Part: Fill an 8 quart stock pot slightly more thanhalf full with water. Add 1 12 oz can of chicken broth. Add a ½ tsp of salt and ½ tsp of pepper. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for the water to boil, wash chicken parts and trim off some skin and fat (not all of it, though).

Once the water is boiling, add bay leaf and washed chicken. Reduce to a low/medium simmer. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours or until the meat on the chicken falls off bone very easily. Remove from heat.

Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool to the touch. Pick meat off the bones and discard skin, bones, and undesirable meat.

Strain stock pot to remove bay leaf and any remaining bones, etc.

Allow soup broth to cool, then refrigerate for about an hour. This will solidify the fat on top, allowing for easier removal. Skim fat off the top of the broth.

2nd Part: Wash all vegetables. Chop entire bag of carrots (without peeling the carrots of their skins, that’s the healthy part!). Chop 6-7 stalks of celery. Peel and chop entire onion. Chop entire package of portabella mushrooms. Chop kale leaves into manageable strips.

Return stock pot to burner. Add 2 cans of chicken broth (to boost the flavor). Bring stock to a high simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, ½ teaspoon of chili powder, and ¼ teaspoon of coriander (add crushed red pepper flakes here if you like it with more bite). Add all chopped vegetables. Reduce to a low simmer for 2 hours.

When veggies and stock are almost done, take a 3 or 4 quart pot and fill with water. Bring to boil. Add 8 oz of egg noodles and salt to taste. Follow package directions for al dente pasta. Make sure to rinse noodles in cold water when they are done.

Once vegetables are finished simmering, add chicken and egg noodles. Continue to heat on low for 10 minutes to bring chicken and noodles up to temperature. Remove from heat and ENJOY!

Cook's Note and Variation: We substituted rubbed sage for the coriander and added 4 cloves of peeled and crushed garlic along with 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley. Served up with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese for an Italian version of this recipe.

Submitted by: Beth