Chicken Soup!

After two days of cold rain, I needed some comfort food...this chicken soup did the trick. I like my soup with a little zing, so I added lots of pepper. Spicy? Yep! Just enough to chase away the chill!

Chicken Soup with Leeks
3 cups chopped chicken breast
2 carrots, scrubbed and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 med. onion, chopped
1 parsnip, scrubbed and diced (optional)
1-2 leeks, chopped (discard the tops)
3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 sprigs parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 qt. chicken broth or stock
2 cups dry egg noodles (more or less to taste)
Salt, pepper (I used black, cayenne, and white), and garam masala

• In large soup pot, heat oil over med. heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, parsnip and leeks. Stir well, cover, reduce heat and cook until vegetables are somewhat tender, stirring occasionally, about 10-15 minutes.
• While the vegetables cook, cook chicken in a little olive oil. I added a few shakes of garam masala and a sprinkle of Kosher salt to the chicken as it cooked.
• Add chicken, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and stock to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender.
• You may adjust the amount of liquid by adding another cup or two of hot water or stock as desired.
• Add egg noodles about 20-30minutes before serving, and simmer until cooked but not mushy. (Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.)
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.