Frugal Kitchens 101 - What's in Your Chicken Noodle Soup

I was recently rather ill at our permanent home looking forward to going to our vacation home.  Now, seriously avoiding contact with folk even if doing a bit of shopping is a prudent thing to do at least a week before traveling.  I have both allergies and asthma which really means I can catch a cold if you are a mile away and it can develop complications quicker than a blink of an eye!  My serious go to dish for colds and flu is homemade chicken noodle soup.  It is a family tradition but why?

My homemade chicken noodle soup is always made from scratch right from the chicken and raw ingredients.  Everyone has heard of chicken soup being called Jewish penicillin.  The thing is, this soup cures right from the start of cooking.  It is chuck full of nutrition, antioxidants, and everything to help your body heal AND it is just good comfort food!  Even the cooking processes adds moisture and antibacterial properties into the air that get into your respiratory tract to start the healing process before you even eat the soup.  The hot, moist air opens your sinuses helping them to drain.  All the way around, homemade chicken soup lives up to it's reputation as a healing, comfort food when feeling under the weather.  So, have you ever wondered what is in homemade chicken soup that earns it such a wonder reputation?   Here is a breakdown of the ingredients and how they help you get back on your feet quickly:

• fluids - Water is necessary for proper hydration.  When you are sick it is very easy to become dehydrated which can lead to complications.  The problem is excessive sweating when you have a fever or fluid loss through a gastrointestinal infection can cause dehydration and electrolyte loss quite quickly.  Drinking plain water is always a must when sick as it helps flush the body of toxins but plain water does not replace the electrolytes lost like the liquid in chicken soup.  The broth in chicken soup is rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants that support the immune system, the liver, the kidneys and respiratory tract.  The warmth of the broth is soothing as well helping to keep you well hydrated and nourished so your body can heal.
• onions - Any soup destined for the sick bed should be rich in onions.  Onions are ideal for getting your mucous running.  Onions are rich in Vitamin C, have anti-bacterial properties and strengthen your immune system.  Onions are also rich in sulfur which is good for the liver which is in overdrive when you are sick ridding  your body of toxins.  When I make homemade chicken noodle soup there is onions in the initial stock followed by onions in the actual soup.
• carrots - Carrots contain Vitamin A plus they give a rich flavour to stocks.  This is a must ingredient when making the initial stock for making the soup.  Carrots have antiseptic properties that prevent infection and support the liver in ridding the body of toxins while reducing bile and fat in the liver.
• celery -  Celery when eaten raw is a diuretic but when added to soups gives a wonderful flavour while adding a lot of nutrients.  It is high in Vitamin C, calcium, sodium and Vitamins B2, B6 and B1.  In soups, celery adds a subtle flavour element that is only noticeable if it is missing.  Celery also has anti-fungal properties and anti-oxidants to help ward off complications from the cold and flu.
• chicken - Chicken is what the soup is all about but aside of that it adds protein in an easily digestible form.  The proteins in chicken help prevent bone loss.  Chicken is rich in the trace element selenium that supports the thyroid and immune system. In the soup you get the actual chicken pieces that by the time it is soup literally fall apart in your mouth without any effort AND you get the essence of the chicken in the stock so if you aren't up to solids, you can strain them out for just the soup stock.  It adds fat that increases the absorption of carotenoids in carrots by 1,000 percent.  Chicken is rich in Vitamin B6 and niacin that support metabolic actions in the body along with phosphorous that supports the healthy functioning of the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.  
• chicken fat - Chicken fat adds flavour to the soup.  It is contains monosaturated fat that is high in the antioxident Vitamin E which helps to reduce cholesterol levels and fight cellular damage.  It contains polysaturated fat rich in essential fatty acids, Omega-3 and Omega-5 that helps with brain function and tissue growth.
• bay leaf - I add bay leaf when making certain stocks and soups including chicken noodle soup for flavour but it does have health benefits as well.  Bay leaves have antimicrobial properties against many common pathogens like Streptococcus  pyogenes, Staphlococcus aureus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Canadida albicans that could arise due to complications with a cold or the influenza.
• black pepper - I add black peppercorns to most stocks and soups including chicken noodle soup.  They are further seasoned with fresh ground black pepper to taste on serving.  Black pepper adds flavour as well as health benefits.  It aids in digestion and has antibacterial properties.  More importantly, black pepper helps your body absorb vitamins and minerals
• salt -  I don't add much in the way of salt when cooking anything.  Rather salt is added to taste when serving.  Salt (sodium chloride) is very important in the human body because sodium is needed for the proper functioning of the sodium-potassium channel which pumps out 2 potassium ions for every 3 sodium ions pumped into the nerve cells (neurons).  Simplified, sodium triggers action potentials in neurons which is how your body feels pain.  If you step on a pin, an action potential travels along your nerve cells to send the message of pain to your brain.  When your run a fever or sweat a lot as would happen with influenza, you lose valuable salt in your system which needs to be replaced.   
• noodles - I use broad egg noodles in my homemade chicken noodle soup.  

My Version of Starvin' Guy Chicken Pie

Over the past couple of weeks while on crutches I managed to watch a few shows on Food Network Canada.  It was a bit of a treat while icing my ankle and knitting the most testy ever afghan pattern.  I pretty much gave up watching television during the day a few years ago so don't indulge as much as I used to on the food channel.  Greta and Janet Podleski of Eat, Shrink and Be Merry made a healthier version of individual chicken pot pies called Starvin' Guy Chicken Pie that sounded too yummy not to try making it.  I made my version of their dish last night for dinner.

Greta and Janet's recipe is based on using a large rotisserie chicken.  This is one of the very few take-out foods that I consider frugal in terms of cost and time.  A whole, raw chicken here costs about $10 in the stores and they very seldom go on sale which explains why we buy chicken pieces rather than whole chickens most of the time.  Whole chicken from the farmers costs us $8.  We can buy rotisserie chicken at Sobey's and Wal-mart for $7.47 but once it gets past 5 PM, Wal-mart marks them down to $5.  Since I needed the chicken for dinner, I ended up paying full price.  It was still a good deal.

I deboned the rotisserie chicken cutting the meat into bite sized chunks and reserving the bones that would be added to my bag of frozen chicken bones for making chicken stock later.  Not only would this chicken make a delicious, low cost and healthy meal, it would also go towards making home canned chicken stock for the pantry. 

Greta and Janet's recipe did not specify how many cups of chicken, only to use a large rotisserie chicken (light and dark meat).  I ended up with about 3 cups of prepared chicken. 

We have dealt with the same local butcher shop that my husband's parents dealt with.  They have good quality meats, lunch meats and cheeses as well as a specialty Dutch foods section.  What I really like about buying there is I can buy according to my need.  Greta and Janet's recipe called for grated Swiss cheese.  Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, the grocery store here did not have chunk Swiss cheese.  This is rather normal as it is a smaller community.  The butcher shop came to my rescue.  The cheese ended up costing $17 and I only used a piece about 1 inch wide off the end of one of the pieces for this recipe.  However, cheese doesn't go to waste here so I'm sure the rest will get used up without a problem.

I started tweaking the recipe to eliminate a bit of measuring and using what I had on hand.  What I did keep was their very low fat added for cooking.  Their recipe called for measuring the onion, celery and garlic but I just guestimated for my version.  None of these would add extra calories or fat so a little over their measurements wouldn't hurt.  I used homemade poultry seasoning and home canned turkey stock which lowered the price per serving.  My home canned turkey stock is defatted as well.  I would have used home canned creamed corn but am completely out so had to buy a can.  I also used a frozen mixed vegetable blend (peas, corn, carrots, green beans, Lima beans) as I didn't have just plain frozen peas and carrots on hand.  Rather than make individual chicken potpies as they did, I made one large one saving a bit of time in the process.

While I modified the filling, I kept the biscuit topping the same (refer to link to recipe above).  I will note that the biscuit topping was very much on the wet side and difficult to work with!  Here is the recipe for the filling as I changed it:


My Version of Starvin' Guy Chicken Pie Filling
recipe by: Garden Gnome

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic
8 oz package sliced mushrooms
¾ c frozen mixed vegetables
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp poultry seasoning
2 c home canned turkey stock
1 c cream-style corn
1 c 2% evaporated milk
3 tbsp unbleached flour
½ c grated Swiss cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 c rotisserie chicken

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in ceramic coated (or non-stick) fry pan.   Add onions and garlic.  Cook until onions are just turning translucent.  Add celery and mushrooms.  Cook until mushrooms are tender.  Stir in mixed vegetables, thyme and poultry seasoning.  Mix well.  Stir in stock and corn.  Let the mixture simmer for about 2 minutes.  In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and milk together then pour into the vegetable mixture.  Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat.  Stir in the cheese, parsley and chicken.  Pour the mixture into an oven proof baking dish.   Cover with dough of your choice.

One of our kids warned me that Greta and Janet's recipes are very flavourful bordering on intensive.  We did not find that to be the case with this recipe and in fact we both found the recipe to be on the bland side.  The filling was a definite keeper but needs a bit of tweaking.  It could definitely use a bit of pepper, more garlic and I would use fresh lemon thyme rather than dried thyme.  In fact, Herbes de Provence would work rather nicely in this recipe.  Both of us agreed that a stronger flavoured cheese like Asiago would have added a bit more spark to the filling.  I would be tempted to use a small grated potato as the thickener in place of the flour as well. 

The biscuit topping was an utter failure!  It looked lovely but that's it.  I was expecting flavour but there really wasn't any.  Even though the dough was horrid to work with and that can be easily remedied, the flavour was very much lacking even though I used the flesh from sweet baked potatoes with that bit of extra caramelization.  It was missing the pizzaz!  Perhaps a pinch of nutmeg or even garlic or onion would brighten the flavour.   The nice thing is, their recipe gave me a healthier way to make the filling.  Even though it does need tweaking it is still an excellent starting point.

Honey Dijon Salmon Fillets

Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids making it a good food to include in any healthy diet.  Salmon is available year round as fresh, frozen or canned sourced from wild or farmed.  However, wild salmon is superior to farmed salmon.  It is very important to read the label as some farmed salmon is dyed to the characteristic pinkish colour and may be high in dioxins and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl).  Even though wild salmon may be slightly lower in Omega-3 fatty acids, the frugal choice between wild or farmed salmon is wild. 

Salmon has a stronger flavour that pairs nicely with maple syrup or honey as well as stronger herbs like dill or rosemary but it also pairs nicely with citrus and creamy type sauces.  It can be smoked for a delectable treat, used in dips or as the meat portion of a meal and as a filling for sandwiches.   We typically enjoy salmon three or more times per month.  We love salmon baked or grilled usually without a lot of added flavours but raw, unpasteurized honey (the only kind I use) really adds a sparkle to salmon. 

I made honey dijon salmon fillets served with zucchini melody for dinner.  This wonderfully delectable meal was quick and easy to prepare while being healthy.  Honestly, for those gardeners complaining about having too much zucchini, please ship them to me!  I can't wait to be harvesting zucchini from our new garden beds.  Just a tip for those growing zucchini, harvest when about 8 - inches long and deliciously tender. 

Honey Dijon Salmon Fillets
recipe by: Garden Gnome

½ c unpasteurized honey
1 tsp dijon mustard
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sliced almonds
2 salmon fillets

Mix the honey, mustard and pepper together.  Place salmon fillets in oven proof baking dish.  Dab butter equally over the fillets.  Pour the honey mixture over the fillets.  Bake at 350ºF until salmon is cooked through (opaque).  Remove from oven.  Plate then garnish with sliced almonds.

Servings: 2