And we’re back! Two weeks spent eating bowls upon bowls of cacio e pepe, an endless supply of marinara and mozzarella topped pizzas and at least one gelato a day. I think I tried more flavors of gelato in two weeks than all the ice cream flavors I’ve eaten in my thirty-something years of existence. Also, that Mediterranean glow is the real deal. I’ve got a horrible watch tan-line to prove it. Moving along. As always, five seconds after getting off the airplane, I came down with a cold. It didn’t help that our last flight from Boston to Houston felt like the cabin temp was in the ballpark of negative three degrees. Luckily, I already had a southwestern chicken noodle soup recipe on the books for us, so all I had to do was put it together.
So many reasons why I love this Mexican chicken noodle soup. Traditional chicken noodle soup is great. But when you take in to account how many times you, your spouse, your kids, your extended family members are going to be sick this year and you think about how many times you’ll be making (and eating) the same thing over and over again, a little variety in the repertoire sounds pretty darn appealing, doesn’t it? May I also add that this recipe requires minimal chopping and uses mostly pantry ingredients. Can we stop and appreciate what a blessing that is when you’re sick? Take it from me, I was so glad I didn’t have a million things to prep before making Mexican chicken noodle soup with a 102 fever.
How to make chicken stock for Mexican chicken noodle soup:
Of course for this recipe, you can use store-bought chicken broth, chicken bouillon cubes or make your chicken stock (broth). Since last winter, I’ve started making chicken stock at home more often. Not only is the flavor a million times better, but it also allows you to control the ingredients and limit your salt intake. I make a big batch about once a month in the fall and winter time. Here’s what I do: Roast a chicken. I usually use my one-hour chicken recipe but cut out the butter and seasonings on top completely. Just a rub of olive oil and a good bit of salt and pepper is all you need. Save the meat in a separate container (for the soup) and the bones go into a stockpot with carrots, celery, onions, a whole head of garlic, peppercorns, fresh thyme, bay leaves, fresh parsley, and some salt. Just let it come to a nice simmer, then cut the heat back and let it hang out for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I don’t do this all in one day. I usually roast the chicken on Sunday night and then make stock on Monday morning. I’ll strain the cooled stock into these (affiliate link) containers and store them in the freezer for when I need homemade stock on the fly.
How to make Mexican chicken noodle soup faster:
If you’re under the weather and need to make this recipe even quicker, don’t be afraid to use a few shortcuts! Nowadays, you can find chopped onions in the freezer section. Grab a rotisserie chicken and shred and use store-bought chicken stock of bouillion cubes for the stock. The rest of the ingredients are mostly canned goods, so you just have to pop everything into a stock pot and voila, Mexican chicken noodle soup in a flash!
What you need to make Mexican chicken noodle soup:
Aside from the shredded chicken and the chicken stock, here’s what you’ll need:
diced tomatoes black beans diced green chilies corn (frozen or canned) seasonings (adobo and taco) stock red enchilada sauce egg noodles lime juice
Now of course, if you don’t have or like black beans, you can use garbanzo or pinto. If you don’t want this to be spicy, use mild taco seasoning. Swap the red enchilada sauce for verde if you prefer that instead. It’s roughly a southwestern chicken noodle soup so swap and use whatever it is that you like. Really, make it your own, you won’t hurt my feelings!
How to make Mexican chicken noodle soup:
Okay, are you ready for this? All you have to do is saute the onions and garlic, then pop all the remaining ingredients except the noodles and chicken into a stock pot and let it come to a nice full simmer. Then add the noodles and let it all hang out for 5 minutes or until the noodles are to your liking. That’s it. How easy is that? 30 minutes, one stock pot, and full bellies. Mexican chicken noodle soup has it all.
if you don’t plan on serving all of the soup right away, you can also cook the noodles separately and add them to each individual bowl. Leftovers may need a little more stock or water if you cook the noodles in the soup.
