Chicken Noodle Soup

There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of chicken noodle soup on a wet, cold day. Growing up it was the cure for everything winter could throw at us. It contains nutrient rich stock, chicken, ginger (which is great for tummies), garlic, lemongrass, corn and soft noodles. This soup is so easy to make, is pretty inexpensive and really nutritious.

It’s a perfect dish for Baby Led Feeding as all the ingredients are soft and easy to manage. For smaller babies just pour the broth into a sippy cup and let your little one work on the rest of the delicious ingredients themselves, having little sips of yummy soup in-between each mouthful.

I use really good brand of udon noodles that I found it my local supermarket which contain only Wheat Flour, water and are really low in salt. Because Udon noodles are quite thick they are great for little hands, however, you can also use egg noodles which are available in most stores.

The secret to this recipe is the chicken stock. It may seem like a bit of effort to make homemade stock but, if you eat a roast chicken dinner during the week then you’re half way there already. Throw the leftover bones into a pot or slow cooker, roughly chop 2 unpeeled, washed carrots, 2 onions peeled and 2 sticks of celery. I sometimes add a bay leaf and some thyme if I remember. Then cover with about 2 litres of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 hours with the lid on. Finally strain through a sieve to separate the bones and vegetables from the delicious stock. It is a great thing to make ahead and store in the freezer.

Once the stock is made this is one of our ‘quick dinners’. Just add everything except for the noodles, lime and parsley to the pot, cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Then cook the noodles and divide into bowls before pouring over the delicious soup and chicken mixture and sprinkling with fresh parsley. Take that winter!!!

#TakeThatWinter #GoodbyeSniffles