Quick, Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Everyone Will Love

I tend to keep extra busy with a lot of different kinds of projects in the works. That means deadlines are usually looming, and so I don't have time to spend hours in the kitchen making gourmet-worthy meals. Also, I don't eat out often because I'm now at the age where calories, sugar, high fat, and other such ingredients no longer work to keep me healthy. And when I'm not healthy, my ability to meet deadlines and keep projects going is compromised. So I experiment here and there with quick, healthy recipes.

I've always been a soup lover. Especially on rainy days, cold winter snowy nights, and when I'm laid up with a virus. There seems to be nothing quite like a wonderful creamy chicken noodle soup for such occasions. And the best part is that when you make enough to share, everyone seems instantly happy!

As a result of my lifestyle and experiments, here is a great way to make a one-pot meal of creamy chicken noodle soup with a limited amount of time. It's based on maximizing your "cheating" skills by using some prepared foods rather than spending hours of making stock from scratch, and cleaning and chopping lots of veggies. This is a 30-minute recipe, which is my ultimate goal when cooking just about anything. And although I'm not a professional cook, I love the flavor and texture, and friends were equally impressed. Once you have the ingredients in the pot, make sure you let it simmer, preferably for a few hours.

2 cans condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken broth, (or enough chicken bouillon for 4 cups) Note: you can use less broth to get a creamier, thicker soup, so adjust the consistency to your liking.

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (to taste)

1 cooked half chicken—boned—meat cut into bite sized chunks. You can buy these at grocery stores and places like Costco (in the US and Canada) for around $5 or $6. Buy either savory or lemon herb.

3 celery stalks (or about 1.5 cups celery, chopped)

2 cups frozen or fresh veggies of your choice. I used frozen corn and broccoli which needed to be used soon--the advantage of using them in soup!

2 small cans of mushrooms, or 8 oz of fresh mushrooms, sliced.

1-8 oz. package homemade style egg noodles. Brands might include Kluski, Mrs. Miller's, Essenhaus Amish Country, etc.

In a large stock pot or 4-quart kettle, add the following:

2 cans condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

3 cups of chicken broth (or bouillon)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of thyme

Without bringing to a full boil, warm the stock and add the rest of the ingredients the way they are listed above.

Let simmer on very low heat for at least 1.5 to 2 hours. Simmering longer will help develop the flavor.

Makes about 6 to 8 average sized servings.

Notes: Doubling the amount of stock to use a whole chicken and increasing the other ingredients as needed will yield about a gallon of soup to my best estimation. This recipe makes about 12 to 14 larger servings. I'm actually surprised at how much garlic you can use in this recipe! If you're a garlic lover, add enough to satisfy, but don't overpower the rich, overall flavor.

I find that second-day soup is even better than day one's fresh pot. On the second day, flavors have time to come together and in all their abundance for a satisfying, tasty meal. In fact, I believe this so much that when I make a pot to share with friends, neighbors, or family, I never take it a fresh pot to them. It's always second-day soup. The results are always rave-worthy.

This recipe makes a good freezer meal. My experience is that it will taste just as good as second-day for up to three to four weeks in the freezer. After that, I think deep freezing takes its toll and it loses some of its deliciousness.

Recipes: "Rant and Rave Lasagna," "Best Ever Meaty, Chunky Spaghetti Sauce," "Pumpkin Waffles for the Holidays."

Here is complete list of articles and topics by Daniel Carter.