It’s cold. Its rainy. You notice a person coughing next to you on the bus and you contemplate getting off and waiting 20 minutes for the next one. When you finally get to work the office is quieter because so many of your co-workers are out sick. The news is stressing the importance of getting your flu shot but lines for said shot stretch around the block. All of these things could only mean one thing, cold and flu season is officially upon us. While we can buy medicine to make us feel better, to me nothing quiets the sniffles and soothes the sore throat pain like a nice hot bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup.
This recipe reminds me much of my mom’s chicken noodle soup. The same soup that she would feed me whenever I stayed home sick from school. Its full of all kinds of goodies like carrots, celery, potatoes and chunks of shredded chicken. But my favorite part is the the garlic, lots of garlic, 10 cloves to be exact. I grew up knowing that garlic is a natural antibiotic so it only makes sense that the soup that is suppose to make you healthy again be full of it. I also add a couple dried chili peppers because I like the heat and my mom once said that hot food can make you sweat out the bugs that are making you sick. Who knows if she was right, but in the long run it doesn’t matter, they add a nice flavor to the soup.
You may notice that my technique with this soup is a little different. I am pretty picky when it comes to the noodles in my chicken noodle soup. I like my noodles a little more on the al-dente side and have often found that they get mushy the longer that they sit in the hot broth. And forget the leftovers, the noodles just soak up a lot of the broth and a soup with out broth is really not a soup at all. As a result I prefer to ladle the hot soup over the top of cooked noodles. Then if there is any left over I store the noodles and soup separately. It may be an extra step but it is totally worth it.
Mizraim
January 2, 2012 at 4:12 pmI’ve got cough, and I’ve just prepared it, haven’t tried yet. I’ll tell you how did it go.
len
December 7, 2009 at 12:26 pmThank you very much for this recipe, I’ve used it as an inspiration a few days ago as I experimented some noodles recipes and it was very tasty. I’ve also liked the photos on your blog :)
Meichihko
November 11, 2009 at 4:37 pmI found this recipe through Foodgawker. Everyone in the house is sick, so I made this soup for them and it is absolutely delicious! The garlic is perfect and adds a wonderful flavor. And it smells great as it cooks. Definitely one I will make again and again. Thanks for sharing it!
Deseree
November 12, 2009 at 2:59 pmYou’re welcome Meichihko. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope it made your family feel better! :)
Deseree
November 9, 2009 at 11:24 amThanks Michelle!
Jessie- I hope you feel better! If I could I’d send some over to you :)
I hope you enjoy it Danielle!
Thank you Chaya! I agree, there is nothing more comforting than chicken soup.
Chaya
November 9, 2009 at 3:02 amThe ultimate comfort food.
Danielle
November 5, 2009 at 7:49 amYou read my mind. I was just thinking about chicken noodle soup this week and how I needed to add it to my menu soon. This looks perfect!
Jessie
November 4, 2009 at 11:21 pmthis is such a nourishing and hearty soup. I’m coming down with some kind of cold and the last few days I’ve been suffering with a sore throat and sniffles. I wish I can have a bowl of this soup to scare away whatever is making me sick
Michelle
November 4, 2009 at 3:05 pmSoups are so hard to get good pictures of, but yours looks wonderful. Great job.