Souper Saturday: Classic Chicken Noodle

Chicken noodle soup is iconic in American gastronomy, and I usually have no desire to depart from its classic taste.  The recipe that follows is really nothing special, but I'll include some tips to make this recipe almost effortless to make and share.  This is my go-to when I'm taking a meal to family with a new baby.

Classic Chicken Noodle (or Rice) Soup
Ingredients
1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken or four chicken breasts or one whole roasting chicken whole or cut up
seasoning rub: salt, pepper, paprika, and granulated garlic
4 qt chicken broth or stock
1/2 vidalia onion, diced
2 large or 4 small carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 C dry egg noodles or one cup rice
4 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.  If you are using chicken breasts or a whole chicken, sprinkle with salt, pepper, granulated garlic and paprika.  Roast in the oven at 375 until juices run clear (The time really varies depending on your cuts of meat.) If you are using a rotisserie chicken, skip this step altogether.*
2.  Heat broth** to boiling and add onion, carrots, celery, and rosemary.  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender but not mushy.  Remove woody rosemary stems if needed.
3.  Add chicken and noodles or rice and simmer until noodles or rice are tender.
4.  Serve immediately with warm bread and salad for a complete and tasty meal.

Image credit ***

Notes:
*The rotisserie chicken has made this recipe so easy!  However, if you have a chicken to cook up or you are just trying to save money, get the same seasoned taste of rotisserie chicken by roasting chicken with skin on and rubbing with ample amounts of the seasonings above.

**I have made my own stock in the past, but I guess I have a taste for salt so I always end up adding some bouillon cubes to give the broth more flavor.  I have cooked some of the chicken bones with the broth, even when I use commercial broth, and I think it gives the base a richer flavor.  You could also cook a whole chicken or whole chicken parts by poaching (boiling) and use that as your stock.  It does require quite a bit of extra seasoning, though, in my opinion.  So, if you're going for ease and speed, commercial broth or bouillon is the way to go.

***I tried to take my own pics but my camera is not conducive to making indoor pictures look very appetizing.  When Kevin saw me trying to style up a bowl of chicken noodle soup he said, "Eeee...that's looks gross."  And it really did.  So, this picture is pretty close to a bowl of the soup made from my recipe and a whole lot more appetizing than my pictures!