Recipe: Mom’s Chicken Soup

Not your mom’s but a classic nonetheless

A+warm+bowl+of+heaven+is+all+you+need+this+winter.

EMMA LEDBETTER

A warm bowl of heaven is all you need this winter.

EMMA LEDBETTER, Evergreen news editor

One of my favorite childhood meals, even when I wasn’t sick, was chicken soup. 

I’m convinced my family began cooking this soup as a trick to get me to eat my veggies, but I never disliked veggies, so it just ended up being a really delicious soup I now crave all through the winter months.

My mom and grandma both made this recipe, though I use “recipe” loosely since it isn’t written down anywhere. This is the first semester I have really had to cook for myself, so I tried it out and was impressed that I remembered this non-recipe as well as I did.

The most important thing you’ll need for this soup is a big pot. The whole point is to cram as much tasty goodness as you can in there, and you’ll find a small pot will severely hinder your tasty goodness.

Plus, if you make a ton, you’ll have leftovers for days and will still have some left to freeze. 

Ingredients*:

*I’m not listing any exact amounts here because you will probably want to adjust to taste (and the size of your pot). My rule of thumb is if it looks consistent and there isn’t any one ingredient that stands out too much, you’re doing it right.

  • Pre-cooked chicken, cubed
  • Pre-cooked noodles, any type (my grandma used bowtie pasta, but my mom uses egg noodles. I used leftover spaghetti noodles, with the sauce on them, and was pleasantly surprised)
  • Frozen veggies: I go for a mixed bag of green beans, carrots, corn and peas
  • Fresh veggies: white onion, broccoli, carrots (and anything else your heart desires)
  • Chicken stock
  • Powdered chicken soup base (I bought a big bag in the bulk area at Winco)
  • Water (if it’s looking a little heavy on the veggies)
  • Spices, to taste (bay leaves are a must. Then you can add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, marjoram, Johnny’s seasoning, etc.)

Directions:

  1. Mix it all together in your big pot and let it cook until the veggies are soft. Stir occasionally. Depending on how big your pot is, it will probably take an hour to an hour and a half to fully cook.
  2. Taste occasionally to make sure you like it and add spices, chicken stock or water as needed.

I want to emphasize that this is really up to you when it comes to everything you add. If you don’t like veggies, don’t add so many. Not a big fan of egg noodles? Use a different type of pasta (or go without)!

When it’s done, serve hot with toast and cheese. I dip my toast in the soup, but some people give me weird looks when I do that. To each their own, I guess.

Bon appetit!