Chicken Noodle Soup

Winter is coming and while I am always a fan of packing my meals with nutrients, I am super deliberate during the colder months. With a lack of vitamin D among other things during the fall and winter months I am always finding ways to pack in the immune boosting goodness, along with vitamins and supplements*. This soup does just that, plus its ABSOLUTELY delish! This soup also as a weird secret ingredient... It's a game changer!

Lets get you prepared and make sure you have the ingredients you need on hand! Here is a grocery list!

Chicken Noodle Soup is so versatile! You can take it a ton of different directions. This recipe is what I would consider a classic broth base version. I prefer a garlic base over an onion base for my Chicken Noodle Soup. It's PHENOMINAL!! Having a solid broth base is crucial! Now that you have a solid recipe for a solid base, you get to choose your vegetable combinations. Below are some of my favorite flavor combinations:

• Carrot, Celery & Peas: In my opinion this is the "Classic" combo, the "can't go wrong" combo. This combination gives you sweet (carrots & peas), tiny bit bitter (celery). They balance each other out really well, especially with the garlic chicken broth base.
• Carrot, Potato & Spinach: There is sweetness with the carrots, a hearty savory with the potato and some sweet bitter with the spinach. 
• Corn, Carrot, and Yellow Squash: I call this combo "The epitome of fall". You get sweet with all three vegetables plus some richness from the squash. It's a unique and fun way to mix things up!
• Carrot, Celery & Potato: The potato helps calm the bitter from the celery and adds some savory to the sweet from the carrot.

I would love to know what veggies you use for Chicken Noodle Soup. Do you use any of these combinations? Let me know in the comments!

Now, I have tried lots of different ways to perfect this soup and have found that:

• Whole carrots peel and chopped hold the most flavor. Baby carrots will work, they just won't have as much flavor to contribute.
• Always use less celery than what is called for, unless its this recipe, then I have done that for you already!
• Bone broth adds so much flavor and nutrients, with less sodium, than regular broth. It is a little more price wise, but priceless with what it adds to the soup.
• If you use fresh chicken breast, slice it in half horizontally so that it will be fully cooked in time. You also don't need to cook the soup as long using fresh, so at the two and a half hour mark check the internal temperature of the chicken. If its at 165 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer it's ready. If its not fully cooked by then, check after 30 minutes. If your veggies aren't ready when the chicken is, just remove the chicken and let the veggies finish softening up. Shouldn't take more than 30 additional minutes for those veggies to be more than ready.
• Start small with salting it. The recipe calls for one tablespoon of salt. If you are feeling like its not enough, WAIT until its done cooking give it time to infuse into everything and blossom! Taste when finished and add more little by little. You can always add more, but can't take any away! 

SUBSTITUTIONS:

• Bone broth can be subbed with regular chicken broth. I recommend low sodium.
• Any veggie can be swapped for literally any veggie. 
• Any type of noodle will work!

SUGGESTED SIDES:

• Rolls, bread sticks, fresh homemade bread, garlic bread any kind of bread is always so yummy to pair with Chicken Noodle Soup!
• A simple garden salad
• Croutons
• Sweet potato fries
• Soft pretzels
• Grilled cheese

Now for the weirdest secret ingredient...LEMON! Take 2-3 lemon slices and add to the soup while it cooks, then remove them before serving! The garlic base with the parsley and lemon really transforms this soup to what will be your new all-time favorite Chicken Noodle Soup! I didn't add the secret ingredient to the recipe for several reasons, the main one because its totally optional. This soup is delicious with or with out the lemon! But definitely try it! Let me know what you think!