Basic Cooking Skills: Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

Every other Thursday we will post about different basic cooking skills. Knowing how to prepare meals from scratch is a very important step in becoming self-reliant, which in turn is a crucial component of being prepared. Being able to cook meals for your family will give you confidence, more family togetherness time, and lower your food budget=more money for food storage! If you have a basic cooking skill you'd like to learn, email us! These meals contain perishable food items as this is a different series than our food storage recipes.

It's starting to get colder and soup is starting to sound better and better! This chicken noodle soup is quick and easy (just like the title says) and is great to make for your sick family and friends, or have just when you want something warm.



Ingredients: cooked chicken, carrots, celery, onion, chicken bouillon or chicken stock, cream of chicken soup, noodles and basil.


Cook your chicken first. I used this method talked about in weeks prior, and just cut it into cubes instead of shredding it. Peel your carrots (here's another way to cook full size carrots deliciously) and chop your celery and onion. I think Rachael Ray's idea of a garbage bowl on the counter is great. Less time spent shuffling back and forth to the garbage, and less mess on the floor from shuffling back and forth. Also, if you have a compost pile, the bowl is easily taken outside to dump.


Plop all your chopped veggies and the chicken bouillon in the pot and add water.



Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are tender.



At this point, add the cooked chicken



cream of chicken soup and the seasonings.



Now, the original recipe calls for some fancy refrigerated or frozen noodles that you defrost and add. But I never have those on hand--but I always have pasta. I used fettuccine today and just chopped it up into smaller pieces so it would be more manageable to eat.



Add the noodles, and frozen peas right now if you want. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.


Dish some up to take to a friend in need.



And save the rest for your family.



Slurp.



Quick Chicken Noodle Soup
Favorites Cookbook

4 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
5 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 quarts water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (or 4 tsp chicken bouillon granules)

1 (10 3/4-oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 tsp basil
pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
5-6 oz of pasta

Boil veggies, bouillon and water together for 15-20 minutes. Add cut up chicken. Add cream of chicken soup, basil, pepper and bring to a boil again before adding pasta and peas. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.