Mike has been a bit under the weather with an upper respiratory thing.  I guess it is what everyone has been having lately.

Of course, when you have a sick loved one, there is nothing you can do to help.  And doting on them doesn’t do anything to help them get well.  So I make chicken noodle soup.  It may (or may not) be an old wives tale that it will aid in recovery, but it surely can’t hurt.  I think there has actually been some research showing why it does help.

If you find yourself needing to aid an ailing loved one, here is a quick and easy soup to do just that.

You will need:

2 chicken breasts, cooked.  I bake mine in the oven on 450 degrees for 20 minutes, in a little olive oil, salt and pepper, along the lines of this recipe.  If you are cooking for 4, use 3 or 4 chicken breasts.

4 cup carton of chicken broth.  I use the low sodium version. Or 6 cups for 4 servings.

Two fresh carrots, diced small.

1 cup of frozen sweet peas.

1/3 of a bag of egg noodles; I use No Yolks (use more for additional servings).  You can also use fettuccine, broken into 2 inch pieces.

I like a lot of goods in my soup, so use as much or as little of the ingredients as you need.

Start by cooking the chicken.  While it is in the oven I dice the carrots and sauté them in a bit of olive oil in the bottom of a Le Creuset pot (or whatever you are going to make your soup in – no need to dirty extra pots).  I cook the carrots for about 5 minutes, then add the broth.

After the broth and carrots come to a boil, I add the noodles.  Cook the noodles for as long as the package says.  My noodles required 12 minutes.

In the meantime, when the chicken breasts are done, take them out and dice them into 3/4 inch cubes.  Add the chicken during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking the noodles in the broth.  Add the green peas as well.

Add a bit more pepper to the overall soup (unless you think that will cause your sick person to cough – if so, add the pepper to your bowl only).

In about 30 minutes you have a homemade chicken noodle soup that is flavorful, healthy and good for what ails ya!

I served the soup with homemade bread and store-bought butter.  The bread was great for dunking in the broth!

Enjoy!

Bonus Information:  If you have the time, this might be a great chance to make some homemade noodles for the soup.  Gosh, if you go to all that trouble, invite a few friends over to share!

Bonus, Bonus Information:  A nurse in my office has confirmed that, years ago, one of her nursing journals stated that chicken noodle soup, along with Italian and Mexican foods, are all good for you when you are sick.  The heat opens up sinus passages and helps to relieve pressure.  She recommends green chilis in particular, so go ahead and add some to the chicken soup!