Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup over Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup is pure comfort in a bowl.  Think creamy gravy-like soup over mashed potatoes with fresh carrots, celery and corn or green beans.  I just updated this post from May of 2015 with new photos and some recipe improvements…

It sure has been awhile since I posted anything on this blog of mine.  In fact, my last creative endeavor and post was Apple Pie in November 2014. I had no idea then, what was just around the corner…

May 2015
My sweet father was diagnosed with a 6 cm glioblastoma brain tumor on November 7, 2014.  They gave him 2 months to live with no intervention and 6-9 if he had radiation.  Sadly, he was just too sick to go through the treatment.  At 89 and after an emergency intestinal surgery, his body pretty much wore out.  It is said “old soldiers never die, they just fade away” and this is exactly what happened.  Daddy just faded away until he left us on December 3, 2014.

With the passing of time, a strong faith in the purpose of this life and a belief in the hereafter, we are slowly healing.  And, I must admit that comfort food has really helped!  A Costco rotisserie chicken, ‘gravy like’ soup over mashed potatoes and pain goes away (well, at least temporarily) .  I’ve actually made this recipe 4 times in the past couple of months…it tastes great, fills the tummy and just makes me feel good.  I bet you didn’t know a bowl of chicken noodle soup could do all that did you?  And, when you boil the chicken bones, the health benefits increase as well (see Root Notes below)…

What’s at the root of this food?  Satisfying, healthy, comfort and joy!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup over Mashed Potatoes

• 1 Costco Chicken, skin/fat removed
• 10 cups of water or 3 cans chicken broth
• 6 large carrots
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 onion
• 2 T ‘Better Than Bouillon’ (optional)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen green beans (or corn)
• 2 tsp dried sage (or 1 T fresh, chopped fine)
• 2 tsp dried parsley (or 1 T fresh, chopped fine)
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 2 tsp garlic granules
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 lb pasta of your choice (optional)
• Homemade mashed potatoes
  OR…
• 1 package “Honest Earth Creamy Mash” potatoes (see directions on back of box)
• 2 2/3 cups water
• 1 cup milk
• 1 T butter

Place the whole chicken in a large pot.  Cover with 10 cups of water.  Cook this down on low heat for 4-6 hours or until the broth has reduced to 6 cups and is a nice tan color.  Or just open 3 cans of chicken broth!  I must say that the homemade tastes better and is soo good for you!  Take the chicken out of the pot, pour the broth through a sieve into a bowl and then back into the pot.  Remove all chicken from the bones and chop into bite-sized pieces.  This will yield about 5 cups of chicken.  Set aside.

Peel and chop the carrots.  Chop the celery and onion.  Prepare the green beans and chop those too (I usually cut or break them in half or thirds).  Dump all of this into your broth and cook for 15 minutes; add the pasta and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the veggies are fork-tender.  Stir in the chicken and spices.  To make the soup creamy you have two options:
Option #1:  1 1/2 cups cold milk and 4T corn starch.  Add cornstarch to milk and whisk until smooth; add to the soup and simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.
Option #2:  2 T butter, 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup milk .  Melt butter in a frying pan.  Add flour and stir until combine; continue stirring until thickened.  Add milk in small parts, stirring and cooking until mixture is smooth and creamy.  Make sure to get all the lumps out.  Next, add this to the pot and stir to combine.  Now let it simmer a little bit longer until the soup is thicker.  Prepare potatoes according to directions on the back of the box, reducing butter to only 1 tablespoon (cuz it’s less fattening that way).

Place some mashed potatoes in a bowl.  The amount is really up to you…the men in my life like a lot of mashed potatoes!  Me?  I usually have 1/2 cup.  Ladle hot soup over the top and enjoy!

Root Notes
–  Homemade chicken broth is ‘highly nutritious and may protect the joints, help fight osteoarthritis, reduce inflammation and heal the gut, aide sleep, and support weight loss.  Check out the whole article here from Medical News Today.
-For the pasta, I use either spaghetti or fettuccine broken in half.  Go ahead and leave the pasta out if you’re worried about eating too many carbohydrates.  The soup tastes great either way!
–  The “Creamy Mash” potatoes are in a blue box at Costco.  The package includes 14 servings for about $10 and has only one ingredient: potatoes.  Yes, that’s it.  A quick alternative to homemade mashed potatoes when life is busy and you are hungry!
–  You may also make this soup gluten-free by using corn starch or gluten free flour for thickening.
–  Better Than Bouillon is available at Costco and contains no MSG!  I put it as ‘optional’ because if you boil the rotisserie chicken for that many hours, the broth is nice and flavorful all on it’s own.   If you use canned broth, it sometimes needs a little bit more flavor.