Chicken Noodle Soup 3.02 Haunted Leg

“Chicken noodle soup, side of mashed potatoes.” “Thanks, Luke.” “Thanks.” “How’s the cold coming?” “ It’s fine. “Any better?” “ It’s fine.” “It’s the third day in a row you’ve ordered soup for breakfast.”

Ingredients:

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp pepper

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder

• ½ tsp chili powder

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 green onions, sliced

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• ¾ cup carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 stalk of celery, sliced

• 1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh parsley

• 10 cups of chicken broth

• 3 bay leaves

• ½ tsp red pepper chili flakes

• 10 oz egg noodles, cooked

• 2 tbsp of butter

• 10-15 fresh sage leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

2. In a small bowl, combine all the spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika.

3. Season the chicken with the seasoning mix. Make sure to fully coat the chicken.

4. Bake the chicken at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until fully cooked and tender.

5. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the green onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 6-7 minutes or until soft and fragrant.

6. Add in the thyme leaves and parsley and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

7. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and carefully shred with two forks.

8. Add the chicken to the stockpot. Pour in the chicken broth then add the bay leaves and red pepper flakes

9. Bring to a boil then turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

10. Add the cooked egg noodles to the pot, and stir to fully combine. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

11. While the soup is simmering, place a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt.

12. Add the sage leaves to the melted butter and allow to crisp up. This will only take about 10-15 seconds. You’ll know the leaves are done when they lay still in the butter.

13. Remove the bay leaves from your soup when it’s done simmering and serve with the crispy sage leaves!

14. Optional: serve with a side of mashed potatoes (I have an easy recipe for mashed potatoes from my Damn Donna Reed Meal).

Sorry, Lorelai, we're using fresh veggies for our soup!

Lorelai is suffering from a cold in this episode, so she orders chicken noodle soup for breakfast for the third time in a row! I don’t think there is anything better than chicken noodle soup when you’re sick, even for breakfast. The warm broth always feels good for a sore throat and the carrots contain a good amount of vitamin C. In this soup, I added quite a bit of red chili pepper to add a kick to help clear out the sinuses. Even if you don’t have a cold, this soup is packed with good flavors. I haven’t had a cold in the year plus that we’ve been wearing masks, which is a very good reason to keep wearing them and continue washing our hands. But if you do end up with a cold, be sure to save this recipe to help you feel better!

Your chicken should be tender enough to shred with two forks.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you may remember that I used crispy sage leaves when I made Sookie’s magic risotto back in season one. I love adding crispy sage to different dishes because it adds great texture and a vibrant flavor, and this soup is no different! You could also add a bit of grated parmesan cheese on top if you wanted, and of course, with crackers. In the episode, Lorelai orders her soup with a side of mashed potatoes, which honestly I get. When you’re sick, your taste buds don’t really make sense, and mashed potatoes are so comforting.

Allow your soup to simmer to build those flavors.

This episode is more of what I wanted out of the season three premiere. Rory starts her senior year of high school, she has the confrontation with Jess, and both Lorelai and Rory face Christopher after the fallout at Sookie’s wedding. I wish this and the previous episode were combined because I think it would have made a stronger start to the season. I don’t like the Francine plot of this season, so I could have done without her in this episode. To me, it feels like a cheap way to create conflict between Rory and Paris, and I think there are better ways of doing so.

I added lots of noodles to my soup just for Lorelai!

We have the smaller plot of Kirk asking Lorelai out in this episode. I think that plot could have been cringy or even painful to watch, but it’s done really well, and I like how Lorelai turns him down. She’s honest with him, but she’s gentle and doesn’t ruin their friendship. On my Instagram this week, I asked my followers to share their favorite Kirk scenes. It was completely unplanned, but the timing worked out because Sean Gunn was the guess for Scott Patterson’s podcast that same day.

I like the argument that Rory and Jess have in Doose’s at the end of the episode. This is probably one of the only times I take Jess’s side in one of their arguments. Rory is upset that he got together with Shane over the summer when she didn’t contact him at all, nor did she break up with Dean. I’ve said it already, and I’ll keep saying it until it happens, but it’s really frustrating that Rory continues to drag along Dean for so long. They should have broken up episodes ago, but especially by the end of season two or in the first episode of season three.

This is my favorite bowl to eat soup out of!

The big thing that happens in this episode of course is Chris showing up at Friday Night Dinner. Now, I’ll give him some slack here. He really only showed up after Emily called him. I don’t think Chris would have shown up like that if he didn’t get the okay from Emily. We see this again in a much bigger way later on in the show with Wedding Bell Blues, but Chris just always seems to slide in when Emily says he should. I love both of the girls’ confrontations with Chris, and I like how united they are in this moment. It’s interesting to see how both of the relationships with Chris heal after this because in this moment- even though Lorelai says give it time- it doesn’t feel that hopeful.

Happy Cooking in the Hollow!

Enjoy your soup with a side of mashed potatoes.

If you missed what I made last episode, catch up here!