Creamy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Creamy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 cups natural chicken broth*
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 bay leaf, optional
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 can (12 oz) evaporated skim milk
1 cup half n half
4 tablespoons cornstarch (more or less to taste)**
1 cup frozen peas
Fresh parsley, optional garnish


Combine chicken, broth, celery, carrot, and bay leaf in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove and discard bay leaf.

While soup is cooking, prepare noodles. Stir together flour and salt. Make a well in center of flour; add eggs and milk; using a fork, stir together eggs and flour until well mixed. Add additional flour (or milk, one teaspoon at a time) to produce a dough stiff enough to handle. Dough should still be soft, but not sticky to the touch. Form dough into a ball, flatten on a floured surface, and knead until smooth. Divide dough in half; roll each half out on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle or to desired thinness. Allow dough to rest 10 minutes before cutting. Cut noodles 1/4-inch wide and 2 to 5-inches long.***

Over medium to high heat, bring soup to a boil; drop noodles into boiling broth. Boil noodles until almost al dente (do not overcook noodles).

Add evaporate milk and half and half, stir and bring to a boil. Mix cornstarch with 1/3 cup cold water, slowly stir cornstarch into boiling soup; stir gently until bubbly and thick. Add frozen peas and allow to stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish soup with optional snipped fresh parsley or sprigs of fresh parsley.

Notes:

Make noodles from scratch. Add milk to basic soup for a creamy base and a nutrient rich dish. Serves 8

* May substitute 6 chicken bouillon cubes and 6 cups water for broth.

** More or less cornstarch may be added to achieve desired consistency. Mix cornstarch with water as directed above; stir part of cornstarch into soup and cook until bubbly as directed in recipe; add more of the cornstarch mix, as needed, to achieve desired consistency. Mix up more cornstarch and cold water if a thicker soup is desired and repeat process. If soup is too thick, thin with milk to desired consistency.

*** If desired, noodles may be dried or partially dried before using. Leave noodles on cutting board or toss with a little flour then spread out on a cookie sheet to dry. If noodles are not completely dried, refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

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