This Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Will Soothe Your Soul During Self-Isolation

These are stressful times. But as Andrew Bice reminds us, “There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of chicken noodle soup.” He would know best. At Noble Bird in Long Beach, CA, the chef specializes in chopping up chicken—after it’s been brined for a day, and slow-roasted on a rotisserie. Perfectly prepared poultry obviously isn’t the answer to all our woes. But it’s a start. They don’t call it ‘Jewish Penicillin’, for nothing.

The dish is also a great way to cutdown on food waste. It can easily be thrown together using previous days leftovers. So as Bice points out, you can stretch one meal into two with really simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. His straightforward instructions are included below, following a few quick words with the chef. Folks in Southern California still enjoy access to his cooking through delivery and curbside pickup directly from the restaurant.

How are you holding up during these turbulent times?

Noble Bird is a restaurant that just opened up three months ago and we’ve had to pivot and adapt on a daily basis to keep moving forward. I’m grateful to work with such an amazing and supportive team. If we survive this, we can survive anything. 

What are some basic tips we can use to find nourishment when we’re holed up at home?

You just have to go back to the basics – simple pleasures to find small joys, reading a book, conversations that don’t involve texting, food that isn’t overly complicated made up of simple ingredients.  I think what we’ll all come to realize is that we don’t need much, just the simple things that we’ve all come to take for granted.

What are some things that you’re doing to pass the time/preserve your well-being?

Work, 1000-percent. The Noble Bird team is determined to get through this and come out on the other side even stronger. 

Why do you feel as though this is a particularly comforting meal for home preparation?

Soup is universally comforting and none more so than chicken noodle soup. Almost every culture has a version of it and it’s regarded as a cure-all. 

What are some key ingredients that are vital to have stocked in your kitchen while you’re stuck at home?

Chicken broth, homemade if you can swing it. Good olive oil. Bread. If you can’t make it, buy extra loaves — you can always freeze ’em. And good whiskey.

Any good shows, albums, or books that you can recommend for quarantine consumption? (ASIDE FROM TIGER KING!)

You can never go wrong with re-runs of The Office.

^{Chicken Noodle Soup}

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole rotisserie chicken

• 1 yellow onion, halved

• 2 large carrots

• 5 stalks of celery

• 1 jalapeno

• salt

• pepper

• 2 T olive oil or butter

• a few sprigs of fresh thyme and sage

• 8 oz. dried pasta, preferably Angel Hair (half a box)

• 1/2 an onion

• 3 stalks of celery

• 1 carrot

• 1 Jalapeno

DIRECTIONS

• Pick all remaining rotisserie chicken from the bones and reserve for later (this is easiest when done with cold chicken that was refrigerated from your previous meal). One cup’s worth of rotisserie chicken would work but the more, the better!

• Put all bones into a medium pot and cover completely with cold water.

Dice (large dice OK):

• 1/2 an onion

• 3 stalks of celery

• 1 carrot

• 1 Jalapeno

• Add the above to the pot, along with fresh thyme and sage.

• Simmer all ingredients for one hour.

• Strain and discard bones and vegetables. Set aside strained broth.

• Grab another carrot or two, along with remaining celery, half an onion and another jalapeno (if you like it spicy!) and start dicing some more.

• Add a tablespoon or two of oil or butter to another pot, then add all the diced veggies and sauté on medium heat for 2 minutes, max.

Add the strained chicken broth and reserved rotisserie chicken to the pot and bring to a boil. Take half of the angel hair pasta in the box and break in half and cook in the pot until al dente, about 3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Everyone is hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. And these are particularly challenging times for food and beverage professionals. It is estimated that upwards of 7 million restaurant workers could lose their jobs within the next few weeks, alone. In order to support the industry while encouraging creativity in the kitchen, we present to you this ongoing series featuring easy-to-follow recipes from some of the world’s finest chefs, eateries, and resorts. If you like what you taste, consider donating to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation.