Chicken Noodle Soup

When I was young and feeling sick, Campbell's Chicken and Stars soup was the ultimate comfort.  We have all been fighting colds in our house this week.  Bleck.  No offense to those sweet little mushy stars and odd bits of chicken, but I'm grown up now and need a different chicken soup.  This version has all white meat chicken (I'm kind of picky when it comes to proteins), rustic homemade egg noodles and broth scented by rosemary and thyme.  Exactly what the doctor ordered.  For all others who are battling yucky viruses this time of year (or even if you're not and just want something warm and satisfying), give this remedy a try...

*Also, if you want to speed the process even further, you can skip the step to make the homemade egg noodles and buy a package of ready-made egg noodles in the freezer section.  Reames is a brand that was a staple in my house growing up and I highly recommend.  They made up such a significant portion of my younger brother's diet that a more basic version of this soup (very similar to my "Sick Day Chicken Soup") has become known as "Luke Soup" in my family's house .
  
Chicken Noodle Soup
makes a huge pot
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders (or chicken breast)
2 teaspoons steak seasoning
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
8 cups chicken stock (2 quarts)
1 large pinch (about 1/2 teaspoon) dried thyme
1 large pinch (about 1/2 teaspoon) dried rosemary
1 recipe homemade egg noodles (see below) or 1 pound package frozen egg noodles
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Trim chicken of any "icky bits" if necessary.  Sprinkle with steak seasoning.  Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Brown chicken on both sides, in batches if needed.  Return all the browned chicken to the pot.  Slowly add chicken stock to the pot stirring to incorporate any browned bits off of the bottom of the pot.  Bring broth and chicken to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken from broth and allow it cool enough to handle.  Shred cooked chicken into bite sized chunks (again removing any "icky bits") and return to pot.  Add thyme and rosemary.  Bring back to a boil and add noodles, celery and carrots.  Reduce heat to medium and gently boil until carrots and celery are tender and noodles are cooked through (about 10 minutes).  Add peas, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Egg Noodles
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt until well combined.  Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add egg yolks and eggs.  Mix thoroughly.  Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is stiff, but well combined.  It will be kind of sticky and shaggy (lumpy)  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes or until dough becomes smooth and firm but pliable.  Divide dough into four equal pieces.  Take one chunk of dough at a time (covering the remaining pieces) and on a floured surface, roll out into a rectangle until desired thickness (1/4-1/8 inch).  Loosely fold the rolled dough into thirds and cut into desired width (1/4-1/2 inch wide, and a pair of kitchen shears can help with this process).  Separate cut noodles and spread out on a floured surface in a single layer.  Allow to dry in the open air for at least 30 minutes.  Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.