Chicken Noodle Soup with Butternut Squash
Why I Love This Recipe
Let me tell you about my chicken noodle soup.
While I was living with one of my best friends, Laura, I used to make a huge pot of it during the winter and we’d eat it all week long. Laura would constantly ask me to make a batch, which I gladly did. She later moved to another city, but to this day, she texts me from time to time telling me how much she misses it. “I think about it a lot,” she once proclaimed.
It was one of my proudest moments as a cook.
Yesterday was a cold, rainy day and I was feeling a little sniffly, so I was in a chicken noodle soup mood. I used butternut squash instead of carrots this time, to make the soup feel more like winter. I like to make mine with a high “broth-to-stuff ratio”, as I call it, meaning it’s loaded with noodles, chicken and veggies. For less than $10, I’m fed for the rest of the week – as well as any unexpected guests that pop by.
Ingredients You'll Need
2 1/2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 2 boneless skinless breasts)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 celery stalks, chopped, including tops and leaves
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
8 oz. egg noodles
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Directions
If you have a slow cooker, I highly recommend using it to cook the chicken for this recipe. Add the two chicken breasts and cover with water (about two cups), and cook on high for 4 hours. Otherwise, place the chicken breasts in a large pot, fill with water, bring to a boil, and cook for 90 minutes. Shred the cooked chicken with a fork.
Place a large pot over medium-high heat and coat with the olive oil. Add the shallot, garlic, squash, celery, mushrooms, bay leaf, and thyme. Sautee until the mushrooms and celery are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook the egg noodles according to package instructions. Add the shredded chicken and stir throughout. Turn off heat and remove the bay leaf. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
