This recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook for Two.

 

The success in this recipe is that is indeed does make just enough and not too much.  I have issues with mass quantities of food and this was just right.  This soup was very flavorful – I changed the following: I did not use skin on breasts… all I had was skinless in the freezer. I used a very thin noodle, and I mean THIN noodles that I picked up in Budapest and successfully managed to get back here without being crushed.. 

What I would change.. I would add an additional carrot, one seemed not enough. I would omit the flour as I prefer a clear broth, as opposed to a slightly opaque one. I would add an additional cup of broth or water, as I like my soup brothier. (is that a word?)

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Yield: 2

prep time: 15

cook time: 20

total time: 35-40

Ingredients

• 1 12 oz bone in chicken breast skin on
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 celery ribs diced
• 1 carrot sliced
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup wide egg noodle
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp fresh minced thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp parsley minced

Instructions

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat till it is almost smoking.
2. Brown chicken, skin side down until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 tbsp. fat from the saucepan.
4. Add onions, celery, and carrots to the fat left in the saucepan and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits.
5. Add browned chicken with any accumulated juices and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken registered 160 degrees around 20 minutes.
6. Flip chicken 10 minutes into cooking. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, and let it cool slightly - shred into bite size pieces, discard the skin and bones.
7. Discard bay leaf, and return the soup to a simmer, stir in noodles and cook until vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
8. Off heat, stir in shredded chicken and let it sit for 2 minutes to heat through. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

All photographs copyright Janet S. Grey.