Chicken Noodle Soup

• 12 cups water
• 4 chicken breasts (I use a local organic brand now carried by my regular grocery store)
• 1 onion, peeled and then stuck with 6 whole cloves
• 4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly smashed
• 10-12 black peppercorns
• 1-2 leeks (trim and clean carefully)
• 1 large carrot (trimmed and cut into large chunks)

Directions:

• Combine above ingredients in a large soup pot.
• Bring to a boil, skim off any scum, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours until flavor is fully developed in broth and chicken is fully cooked.
• Remove chicken breasts from broth, cool until able to handle, remove meat from the bone, cut into small chunks.
• Strain broth, using a slotted spoon and colander or cheesecloth.
• Wash out soup pot and put strained broth back in.

Add the following ingredients (amounts can be flexible) and cook over medium heat until vegetables are starting to soften (do not overcook):

• 1-2 cups green beans, chopped small
• 1 cup carrots, chopped small
• 1-2 cups mushrooms, chopped (I used 1/2 package of Trader Joe’s mixture including some shiitake mushrooms)
• 1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped small
• 1 cup celery, chopped small
• 1-15 ounce can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed (also called cannellini beans)
• Chicken chunks

Then add 2 cups uncooked noodles of the size and shape that your family likes best. Cook until noodles are almost done.

Lastly, add 1 cup frozen little green peas. Garnish with lots of chopped fresh parsley. Add salt to taste.

This makes ~15 cups of soup and freezes well. So make up a large pot while you are healthy to have on hand if you or your family members get the flu this winter.