Warm Chicken Soup to Get Over a Cold

It's the cold season...Sneezing, coughing, headaches, all the symptoms. I'm sure you have heard to eat chicken soup to get over the cold. My mother was a true believe that chicken soup had healing powers to get over a nasty cold. It was the breathing the aroma of the soup that made you feel warm and toasty inside she would say. She would always make the tastiest soup for my brothers and I when we were sick. Nothing is better than a cup of good homemade chicken soup to give you that kick to start feeling better.

Campbells is what consumers usually purchase as part of their cold remedy, but nothing gets you feeling better than a great big pot of the homemade stuff in my opinion. Don't believe me? Then try this recipe out when that next cold hits you. I bet I'll make you a believer.

This is a Paula Deen soup (hint: "The Lady's Chick Soup"). Hope that it gets you over that cold.

The Lady's Chick Soup

Stock: 1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I omit this)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup cooking sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Seasoning salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving

For the stock:
add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

For the soup:
bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.