Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken soup always seems to make me feel better when I'm under the weather, and it tastes pretty good when I feel fine, too. Making classic soups like this one is more of an art than a recipe. I don't really measure much for this one--I just throw in as much chicken as looks good, cut carrots until it looks about right, etc. That's one of the best things about soup--it's very forgiving--as well as comforting and delicious!

My husband and I like a little more spice in our food than our kids, so we often add sriracha sauce, creole seasoning, red pepper flakes, or whatever is appropriate for the particular food. I added sriracha to the soup.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 cups of chopped onion (I often cheat and use a 12-ounce bag of frozen chopped onions, but chopping your own is also good--it just takes longer.)

2 cups of diced carrots (I slice baby carrots crosswise into discs.)

1 cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped thyme, or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

chicken broth, approximately 12 cups (or use concentrated broth and water)

3-4 cooked chicken breasts, or 3-4 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken (thanks, Costco!)

8 oz. fettuccine noodles

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When heated, add the chopped onions, stirring to coat the onions with the oil. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, thyme, and salt, stir, and continue cooking over medium heat. When the vegetables are softened, add chicken broth to your desired level, allowing extra room for the noodles to cook. Add the cooked chicken. Heat the broth and vegetables to a simmer, and breaking the fettuccine noodles into 2-inch pieces, add them to the soup. Stir periodically to ensure the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the noodles are cooked, serve.