What's for Dinner {44} - Homemade One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

I've eyeballed this recipe for the last month or two and when I decided to add it to this week's menu, I was a little skeptical that it would be as good as Iowa Girl Eats said. I love a good chicken noodle but am often disappointed with the lack of flavor. Personally, I think that probably has more to do with me than with the soups I've tried but nonetheless, it's always disappointing. To explain, I don't have a great sense of smell which I do think correlates to my inability to fully taste a lot of things. Food needs to be salty or spicy or brine-y for me to realllllllly like it.

The last chicken noodle I tried had a few more ingredients to prep/use and while I did think it tasted good, I haven't made it since.... But this recipe, I really think it'll become one of the more popular menu planning options! All the boys loved it, even my huge skeptic of a husband. He especially loved the chicken and the broth and the carrots, so essentially all of it.

Also, it should be said that when I planned for this week's meals, I didn't account for St. Patrick's Day. Had I done that, I would have DEFINITELY wanted this recipe again. Perhaps, I will make it tomorrow!

Now for this delicious recipe, but first, let's watch the video Kristen created way back in 2014.

Homemade One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup from iowagirleats.com

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter (I didn't actually use the recipe when I made this so this got left off by accident)

1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled then sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped (I used diced yellow onion but would have preferred a shallot)

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

64oz chicken broth, plus more for reheating

1 chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used 2.5)

8oz spaghetti, broken into pieces (or any short-cut pasta)

Heat olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until tender, 10 minutes. Add garlic then saute for 1 more minute. Add chicken broth then bring to a boil. Season chicken with salt and pepper then add to boiling chicken broth along with pasta. Turn heat down to medium then simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is cooked through. Taste then adjust salt and pepper if necessary and then serve.

Notes

1. Add more chicken broth when reheating as noodles will continue to soak up broth.

2. I marinated the chicken in fresh lemon juice for a couple days before. I added the chicken and the marinade to the soup

It took me a little longer to make the soup so while that was cooking, the boys ate watermelon and a salad. Seriously, this surprises me so much because we don't eat salads at home. I gave them 2-3 romaine lettuce leaves for them to rip up, topped it with a little parmesan and ranch dressing. Owen had seconds.