Chicken Noodle Soup

Any time Andy gets the sniffles, I bust this one out in some form or another...

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken / *Rotisserie Chicken* (cut some corners if you're pressed for time or energy)
• 5 carrots; half diced, half rough chopped in 3 inch pieces
  
• 1 head of celery; half diced, half rough chopped in 3 inch pieces
  
• 2 leeks / 1 onion; rough chop
  
• 1 shallot; cut in half
• 1 lemon
• fresh herbs: rosemary/thyme/sage/etc.
• H2O
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic and chili sauce (optional)
  
• s&p
• 1/2 package egg noodles
  

Instructions:

1. Break down the whole chicken and remove the skin (if you don't know how to do this, check out the video I posted above). Salt and pepper the pieces.
   
2. Heat a large pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and brown the chicken on both sides. Set aside for later.
3. Add the rough chopped veggies (carrot, celery, leek, shallot), reserving the smaller diced ones for a later step.
   
4. When softened, add back in the chicken pieces and cover with water.
   
5. Add in the herbs, soy sauce and pepper and bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 1-1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the chicken, then strain the liquid into a bowl and discard the veggies. Skim the fat off of the top and pour the broth back into pot.
   
7. Shred the chicken (allow it to cool or use rubber gloves so that you don't burn your hands) and add it back into the pot, along with the reserved veggies.
8. Bring to a boil and add in the egg noodles. Stir until the noodles are cooked.
   
9. Taste the broth. If it needs salt or pepper, add more. For some heat, you can add the garlic chili sauce.
   
10. Ladle up some of the chicken and veggies into a bowl and then top with a ladle full of the broth.

Hope this chases those sniffles away!

chicken piccata

Ok, I decided against potatoes as my side and in favor of pasta after a frustrating day at the office...


Here are the ingredients I used:

• 4 chicken breasts, butterflied (split them in the middle so that they fan out and are thin)
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• juice of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• green beans
• fresh pasta (Nestle makes Buitoni (any my babe works for Nestle), so I use that when I don't have time/energy to make my own)
• Olive oil and S&P
  

1. Fill a pot and bring it to a boil for when it's time to cook the pasta.
2. Heat a skillet on medium-high. Salt and pepper the chicken and then place in the pan to cook for a few minutes per side, or until they are nicely golden brown. Set aside.
3. Add the butter and saute the garlic and shallot.
4. Add in the flour and whisk or stir to incorporate it all together (flour and butter cooked together forms a roux).
5. Cook the fresh pasta per the instructions (this typically only takes a few minutes, compared to dry pasta, which takes longer). Throw in the green beans to cook (if you buy french green beans, they are called hericot verts). Drain and set aside.
   
6. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, lemon zest and stir together. Then add the capers. Taste and add salt, pepper as needed.
   
7. Reserve a few tablespoons of the sauce and then place the pasta in the pan and toss.
8. Plate the pasta and green beans and then return the chicken to the pan and place the remaining sauce on top. When the chicken is warmed up, place it on top of the bed of pasta and green beans.

This dish pairs well with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy!