Chicken soup, the ultimate comfort meal, lunch or dinner or just about anytime.
One of the problems with carrying classic chicken noodle soup is the noodles tend to go mushy the longer you store it, and they don’t freeze well. So I don’t add noodles until it’s time to eat, then cook noodles in the broth. How so you ask, you need quick cooking noodles, and the quickest are those that come in the ramen packs or angel hair pasta, but that is too long to fit in most single serving containers.
Start with putting the chicken necks and any collected bones into a bag of stock and getting it simmering on the stove. Thaw some chicken breast points and gather carrots, onion, cabbage, garlic, and the trim from the second batch of Zoodles or Voodles, rather..
The cabbage will last a long long time when properly stored. This is still firm and crisp. You can see a bit of black oxidation on the cut edges, just trim that away from each cut edge and viola, perfectly good cabbage.
Chop cabbage, celery, and carrots.
Cut a couple slices from an onion, and dice them up. Remove the necks from the broth and set aside to cool. Remove and discard any bones you used.
Add the hearty veggies to the simmering stock, salt and pepper, celery salt, lemon pepper and bay leaf. Simmer about 15 minutes until the veg are nearly tender.
Trim the chicken breast points into bite size pieces. Add them to the simmering broth.
Shred the meat from the cooked necks. Simmer it all together for another 15-20 minutes.
If you look closely at a ramen pack you will see that it is folded. There are actually two servings per pack. Gently pull the block open until it splits into two slabs. Now you have two quick cooking servings of noodles perfect for a serving of soup, either microed at work or stovetop at home.
Place the noodles into a small pan and ladle the soup over. Bring to boil and cook until the noodles are just tender. About 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally to separate the noodles. If starting from frozen bring the soup to a boil then drop in the noodles. Add some biscuits or toast or crackers. One ready for work. 3 to freeze for later lunches.
I have always cooked, I was that person who could make a meal from an empty fridge. I have lived alone and with large and small families, I have cooked for camps on wood stoves, and in professional kitchens. I have lived and worked all over the west from Montana, to Seattle to Arizona to San Diego. I have traveled, maybe not 'all over the world', yet, and have collected tastes recipes and techniques everywhere, and every one I meet.
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