Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

Like many people, I like soup on wintery days.  It warms you up.  It is also very economical if you have a larger family.  We love this quick chicken soup I make when I don't have time to do the all-day kind.  Oh sure, the cooked whole chicken one is better - but not by much, and this one you can have on the table in about 30-45 minutes.  Here we go:

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a medium stock pot.  Add some dices carrots, celery and onion to the pot.  Put them in the pot in that order so the carrots get the most cooking time.

Add a bay leaf and salt and pepper.  Cook until the onions are soft and translucent.  About 5-7 minutes.  Stir occassionally. 

Once the veggies are partially cooked, put in broth.  Use as much as you'd like.  Usually it depends on how many people I will be feeding.  I think I have 4-6 cups in here.  I used some frozen chicken stock I had put in my freezer a couple of months ago from a chicken I boiled.  I also added some water and chicken boullion.  Bring this to a boil.

When it starts to boil add cut up chicken.  I had some in the freezer from a bird I cooked a couple of months ago, but you can use cooked chicken breast.  You can even use canned if that's all  you have.  If the chicken is raw, boil the chicken pieces for 7 minutes to cook them through.  If the chicken is already cooked, just simmer until it's hot.  At this point you can hold the soup at a simmer until 10 minutes before you are ready to serve it.  That's about how long it takes to cook the wide egg noodles you would use for this soup.  But if you'd rather use other pasta, feel free.  Simmer until the pasta is tender.

Serve hot with crackers and rolls.  Enjoy.