Or alternatively, Chicken Noodle Soup For An Army
Quarantine sucks, and if you get sick hopefully you can make this soup, or if you know someone who gets sick you can make it for them.
I understand this is not a real food blog so I’ll keep personal shit to a minimum and only say something personal if its a personal food preference. For example carrots, but those death sticks will have their time..
INGREDIENTS
2-4 32 oz boxes of Chicken Stock.
(2 boxes minimum, the other boxes can be switched out for equal parts water, and I usually do. You can mix the water with some flour if you want you soup a little thicker but I found thats not super necessary.)
Whole clove of Garlic, minced or finely cut
*You really only need half but FUCK IT. Cant smell your garlic pores through your zoom meeting*
One large yellow onion finely cut
Couple stalks of celery finely cut
*I am allergic to carrots and prefer chicken soup that makes me feel better rather than quickens my death but you can put some in yours I guess*
2 lbs of Boneless Chicken Thighs—
*Dark meat all the way. Dark meat is a big fattier which helps it stop from drying out which is a big problem for white meat on the best of days. You would think that the white meat in soup wouldn't be a problem because its essential surrounded by only non-dry things but trust me, it’ll be a problem*
Small Size Pasta of Choice
*I always read you should use egg noodle but never had. My preferred pasta is macaroni or small shells, mostly because I make a big batch and eat it for a few days and the pasta will continue to expand over a few days. Made it with Penne once and had a bowl of giant noodles by day 2*
Spices-
Essential Spices- Basil, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Oregano, salt, pepper
IF YOU LAZY— Italian, Salt, Pepper but c'mon get your shit together and get some basic spices for $1 on amazon bro (and I know its a bro)
Optional But Awesome Spices
— Montreal Steak Spice brings out nice smokey notes in the Soup
— Old Bay for a kick thats not really spicy
— Cayenne Pepper if you want to breathe fire through your nose
*Use any combo of the three spices to your hearts desire. Old Bay cut with some Montreal Steak Spice is my go to, but when I’m really sick and need to clear those sinuses its all about the cayenne baby*
How much Spice? Cant go wrong with anything leaf based, but keep the CS rule (Couple Shakes) when dealing with anything Salt based. You can always add more, too much can really ruin it and you can take it out. (Well, you can add a potato but thats its own thing)
Also optional -
Red Wine- gives the soup another dimension and skunked wine you left open from a few nights ago would work just fine. No need to waste good wine on it, but it could be a good reason to crack open a bottle if you still needed a reason.
THE RECIPE - Chicken Soup For the Quarantined Soul
1.) Finely chopped or minced garlic with Olive Oil in pot on LOW
2.) Add finely chopped Onion and Celery and some MO FUCKING BUTTER. Keep on for 5-minutes on LOW before adding spices
*Some people like chunks of celery in their soup. I HATE this cause I find the celery gets soggy and gross, so I use it for flavouring purposes, hence why its finely chopped like the garlic and onions. My chunk will come form the chicken and noodles instead
3.) Add BASIL, SALT, PEPPER, and some of whichever of your Optional ingredients you want. We are cooking the spice into the vegetables, so that when we add the broth the vegetables can flavour the broth more and bring more dimensions to the soup. Cook on LOW to LOW-MEDIUM (Definitely not medium, you hitting 4-5 on your burner you too hot) for another 5-10 minutes
4.) If you have it, add you red wine for a minute or two after the Vegetables have browned
5.) Add Chicken Stock/Water. Bring the burner up to just above medium heat until it comes to a boil, then bring the burner back down to around 4.
6.) Add Boneless Chicken Thighs directly into the pot, cooking the meat in the stock and further deepening the chicken flavours. Cook for 10-15 minutes
7.) Take the Chicken Thighs out and into a large bowl. After the Chicken is out put in your pasta.
*Only do this if you do not mind Soggy Noodles for leftovers. There are ways to avoid this but I don't give a shit about that right now because I love me some soggy noodles*
8.) Use two forks to pull the chicken apart for a rustic feel (think Swiss Chalet soup for my Canadian peeps). You can also put the chicken onto a cutting board and cut into chunks for a more deliberate (read FUCKING BORING) aesthetic.
9.) Put the chicken back in the pot and serve when the noodles are ready. Pair with saltines or Grilled Cheese with a tomato slice which I heard is technically a melt.
And that is Chicken Soup for an Army. If you feel yourself start to get sick make a big batch of this to hold you through the next few days.
Stay healthy, and support local musicians if you can because the creative people in your lives are really hurting.
I also have an EP you can stream but it's real sad and life is kind of sad right now so maybe don't. Or do if that sounds like your thing.