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ngredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups egg noodles
Instructions for Crafting Your Soup:
Start by preparing your chicken. For chicken breasts, dice them into bite-sized pieces. If using thighs, you may either leave them whole or chop them as preferred.
In a spacious saucepan or Dutch oven, warm some oil over medium heat. Introduce the chicken to the pan, browning it gently on each side for about 5 minutes. Then, escort the chicken to a plate to rest.
In the same pan, now endowed with the chicken's essence, add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Saute these for roughly 5 minutes, until they begin to tenderize and speak to you with their aromatic whispers.
Pour in the chicken broth and water. With reverence, add the bay leaf, thyme, and parsley, then season with salt and pepper to your preference. Stir the congregation of ingredients gently.
Increase the heat to bring your soup to a rolling boil, then reduce the flame to a simmer. Allow it to perform a culinary ballet for 20 minutes, with flavors mingling gracefully.
As the soup simmers, court the egg noodles in a separate pot, following the dance steps outlined on their packaging. Once cooked, drain them and hold them aside, keeping them warm.
Reintroduce the chicken to the pot, allowing it to bask in the simmering broth for another 10 minutes, or until it has cooked through and reached a tenderness that melts the heart.
With a moment of silence, remove the bay leaf, knowing its job is done, and blend the cooked egg noodles into the soup, stirring them into the liquid tapestry.
Give the soup a final taste, adjusting the seasoning with salt and pepper as you see fit. Then, with a ladle as your wand, summon the soup into bowls, serving it forth to be enjoyed.
Let this Chicken Noodle Soup embrace you with its comforting arms, whether as a centerpiece of a family meal or as a solo act on a chilly evening. Each bite is a step back to simpler times, a classic never to be underestimated.
