Good for the Soul: Spicy, Lemony, Gingery Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe and Photos by Cody Owens 

We’re all familiar with chicken noodle soup. It’s pretty good, if not unremarkable. It can make you feel better if you’re kind of sick, and it’s always been there for you when you needed some comfort. It's like that ex boyfriend your parents really liked because he was nice and offered to do the dishes once, but in reality he was just not that fun.

Now allow me to introduce you to chicken noodle soup’s rebellious step brother who got kicked out of school for smoking in the bathroom while ditching math class—Spicy, Lemony, Gingery Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, diced

4 carrots, diced

4 celery stalks diced

2 inch piece of ginger, diced

3 garlic cloves, diced

1 lemon, halved with seeds removed

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

8 cups chicken stock (or broth, preferably homemade) 

1 tbsp jerk seasoning

½ tbsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 box angel hair pasta

 Instructions:

-In a heavy-bottomed pot, add olive oil and spices. Let that cook for a few minutes until fragrant.

 -Add onions, garlic, celery, ginger, and carrots, then cook several minutes

 -Add stock, bring it to a boil, then add chicken breasts and  lemon.

 -Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes (the longer the better; you can remove the chicken and shred it with a fork).

 -Cook the noodles separately. Add them to the serving bowl, then add the soup.

 -Serve with sour cream and fresh herbs. 

Disclaimer: These are not exact measurements for the spices—use however much you think is appropriate for your heat preference. Don’t forget to salt as you go!

...and before someone comes at me for cooking the noodles separately, hear me out: when you cook them with the soup, any time you have leftovers, the noodles absorb so much liquid and you end up having to add water before you reheat it. I don’t like that.