Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I was sick a few weeks ago and being pregnant I am so limited on what I can take, so I had been using the most natural options (humidifier, netti pot and chicken noodle soup!)

I didn't want to have to mess with chicken bones so I made my own impromptu version... warning: this was a trial by error attempt but turned out great!

Here is what I used:

4 chicken breasts cubed
1/2 bag of baby carrots chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 a yellow onion diced
3 chives chopped
Small handful of cilantro chopped
2- 32 oz containers of chicken broth
Salt, pepper and italian seasoning to taste
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
8 cups of water
16 oz box of Galletti pasta (this is by Giada de Laurentiis and looked fun)

First, I put the chicken, minced garlic, chives and cilantro in a dutch oven with enough chicken broth to cover the bottom of the pot.  I let all of that boil over high heat until the chicken was cooked, stirring occasionally.

Next, I reduced the heat to medium-high and added the onions.  I let that go until the onions were mostly translucent.

Then, I added the rest of the chicken broth and the carrots.  It returned to a boil and I let it simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.

I added the celery and water (which I increased the amount of as I went because I wasn't happy with the original broth to vegetable/chicken ratio and didn't want the pasta to take up even more space).  I also added more salt, pepper and italian seasoning at this point as I did not want it to be bland with how much water I ended up adding.  I increased the temperature to medium-high again and waited for it to return to a boil.

I added the pasta and let it boil for 15 minutes.

Overall, I think it turned out great.  It was time consuming as it took about 30-45 minutes to prep everything and then probably 45-60 minutes to be completed once it started cooking in the dutch oven.  It was completely worth the wait though, as I had a bowl and a half once it was done and it was only 10 am :)

Corn Chowder

I came across a corn chowder recipe last year that was so good we ended up making it pretty frequently.  At this point, I'm not even sure where the recipe went and we've modified this to make it our own.  It is so easy and takes minimal time!

Ingredients:
2 cans (14.75 oz) Cream Style Corn
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
8 oz chicken broth
2 cups milk (I think the original recipe called for heavy cream, but we haven't found that it makes much of a difference)
1 grilled chicken breast chopped (I've also used rotisserie chicken as well)
8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese
1 small onion chopped
2 tablespoons butter
dash of hot sauce (optional)
French's fried onions (optional garnish)

Saute the onions in a stock pot with butter.  Once onions are soft, add the first four ingredients to the stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low, stir in cheese and chicken.  Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Garnish with hot sauce and fried onions.

All ingredients in except cheese and chicken.

Everything in.

Yummy!  All dressed up with the fried onions on top!