I got home from work tonight to find everyone in my house feeling sickly. This recipe is my favorite "sick" comfort food, so I thought I'd share the recipe with others. One problem: I always just make it from memory and season to taste, so today I had to measure out how much of each seasoning I put in.
These measurements are approximate - if you want to add more or less, that's fine. Taste as you go to make sure you have the broth you want. If your broth is bland, add a few turns of your salt and pepper grinders, taste, and repeat if necessary. If your broth is salty enough, but still bland, try a few dashes of onion powder, taste, repeat if necessary. If you want a spicier soup (good for those with colds or sinus issues) add more Tony's. Keep in mind Tony's seems to get spicier with time, and with re-heating, so don't make it too spicy to begin with.
2 large boxes chicken broth
1 lb. chicken, diced into 3/4 inch pieces
1/2 T Italian seasoning
1/2 T oregano
1 T onion powder
1 t thyme
1 T rosemary
fresh ground sea salt (about 20 turns of the grinder, to taste)
fresh ground pepper (about 20 turns of the grinder, to taste)
2 T garlic salt
2 T Tony Chachere's seasoning
1 bay leaf
4 to 5 medium carrots
3 celery stalks
1 bag No Yolks noodles
Pour broth into a large soup pot, add all seasonings, except 1 T of Tony's (you will add that at the end) and bring to a boil. After the broth reaches boiling, reduce heat to simmer. Meanwhile, in a medium sized pot, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil. Add chopped chicken to boiling water, and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook approximately 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. While chicken is cooking, chop celery and carrots. Discard leaves and the wide, white base of the celery stalks, and tops of carrots. Add chopped vegetables to broth. Using a slotted spoon, scoop cooked chicken out of the water, allowing water to drain back into the water pot. Add chicken, spoonful at a time, to the broth. Cook on simmer for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours until vegetables are tender, but firm. After broth is fully cooked, boil 6 cups of water in a separate pot. Add noodles to boiling water, turn burner down to medium high, and cook until noodles are tender, but firm. Do not overcook. Strain noodles and add to soup. Mix well. Add more salt and pepper and Tony's to taste. Remove bay leaf. Serve with saltine crackers, biscuits, or bread sticks.
