Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

A go-to healing concoction like a chicken noodle soup recipe is something I don’t take for granted. When someone in the house is sick, a few simple ingredients transform into a bowl of comfort and nutrition, something that I’ve even had the doctor prescribe. Mine has a splash of cream in it, but that’s up to you. Skip the cream for a more clear broth, but keep all those delicious herbs either way.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 3-4 carrots, diced or sliced

  • 1 tsp celery salt

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme

  • 1 small bunch fresh parsley leaves, chopped

  • 2 bay leaves

  • plenty of black pepper

  • neutral oil

  • 2 tsp dijon

  • 1/4 c. butter

  • 1/4 c. flour

  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)

  • 6 cups chicken broth/stock

  • 1 rotisserie chicken, with all of the pan drippings/juices—or—2 lbs seasoned cooked chicken breasts/thighs

  • 3 TBSP heavy cream (optional)

  • juice from 1/2 lemon

  • 1 package of noodles, cooked al dente or 2 packages of gnocchi

Method

  • Saute onions and carrots in neutral oil with celery salt and pepper until onions are translucent.

  • Add the leaves of fresh thyme, bay leaves, and parsley, stir.

  • Add butter and garlic and simmer until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add nutmeg and flour and stir.

  • Then add chicken broth, little by little, scraping the bottom of the pan until all the broth is added.

  • Add dijon and stir. Bring back to a simmer. If using gnocchi, add an extra cup of filtered water and dry gnocchi to the pot now and let simmer for just a few minutes.

  • Then add all of the meat from the rotisserie chicken and stir in the drippings from the chicken as well.

  • Swirl in the heavy cream. Simmer until chicken is heated through and broth is just bubbly, but do not overcook.

  • Once soup is bubbly and chicken is heated, remove from heat and add lemon juice and, if using noodles, stir in cooked noodles.