Cheater Chicken Soup

Sometimes you need your mom, or your grandma; or whoever treated you with chicken soup when you felt yucky. If nobody ever did that for you, I am sorry. Make sure you do it for your family so they know how much you love them! My mom made some pretty darn good chicken and noodles (we eliminated soup from the name because it was just so hearty!) that always made my sister and I feel better from whatever ailed us.

This last weekend was a series of stomach bugs with a brief intermission filled by the Texas State Fair. First time for us, even though we've lived here three years. Despite the rain, and I do mean RAIN, it was pretty fun. 4 kiddos in ponchos, one toddler under an umbrella, and four grown ups making their way through puddles, Fletcher's corn dogs, and cow milking seminars made for a memorable Saturday! But alas, come Sunday morning, the stomach bug came back with a vengeance and left my five year old and I out of commission, while my poor husband tried to keep a cranky toddler out of trouble.

So today, Monday, I knew we needed some soup for our souls. So, being a BIG fan of the Barefoot Contessa, I went to the good book and found what I needed. Here's the amended version to Ina's chicken soup. I am proud to say it was easy, the boys seemed to enjoy it, and we have leftovers to boot! Enjoy!


Cheater Chicken Soup
Amended from the Barefoot Contessa

• 1 rotisserie chicken from your supermarket (Sam's Club has one of the best, and it's a friggin deal at $4) It's also great to have an entire chicken since the white and the dark meat combination is very flavorful
• 2 quarts chicken stock (sometimes I make and freeze my own, today was not one of those days so I used the Tom Thumb/Safeway Organics brand of chicken stock)
• 3-4 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 bags egg noodles (I use Reme's from the freezer section, next to the rolls. You could use any egg noodles you enjoy.)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste

With a large soup pot, heat the chicken stock until simmering. While this heats, remove skin from chicken and remove chicken meat separately. Go ahead and get in there, don't be afraid! Discard skin and bones. Add carrots, celery, and noodles. Cook at a simmer for about 10-15minutes. Then add chicken and parsley. Cook until ready to serve. Add salt and pepper liberally as you like it while cooking.

Serve in a large bowl with a couple of yummy white rolls, hot with butter and honey. Everyone will feel better!