Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts, cooked, cooled & cut into small pieces
4 quarts of water
7 chicken bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. Montreal steak seasoning
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup chopped celery
2 Tbsp. dried, minced onions
4 Tbsp. corn starch
pepper to taste
1 pkg. (14 oz.) egg noodles

In a large soup pot bring water to a boil.  Add bouillon cubes, bay leaves, salt, and Montreal steak seasoning.   Boil for about 5 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.  Add carrots, celery, onions and chicken.  Boil on medium heat until carrots and celery are done.  Mix corn starch in about 1/2 cup of water until smooth.  Pour into pot and stir to blend.  Bring the soup to a boil and allow the corn starch to thicken, about 4-5 minutes.  Add egg noodles and cook until done.  Season with pepper and more salt if needed.

Martha:  This recipe originally came from a site titled Turnips 2 Tangerines.  I did make a few adjustments for my own taste but you can see the original recipe by going to their site.  I took this soup to my daughter's office and the comments I've received back all say the same... "This is the best every!"  

I cooked my 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves in my toaster oven until done.  I like baking my chicken instead of boiling to help hold in the flavor.  You can add more chicken but if the 2 breasts equal about 1 lb. it really goes a long way.  You can add more or less carrots, celery and onions depending upon your taste.  I liked using the dried onions because they don't seem to overpower the taste like a fresh onion sometimes does.  If you decide your soup isn't quite as thick as you might like, you can always add more corn starch in small amounts but always make sure it comes to a boil for thickening.  Your soup will be thicker the next day so keep that in mind too.  This is a dish that I tasted with every step to get the flavor I wanted.  One of the biggest keys, I think, is the Montreal steak seasoning.  Enjoy!



Food Tester Lisa:  This is the most amazing creamy chicken noodle soup I have ever had.  You can't get any better than this!.

Food Tester Leslie (My daughter!):  Yes I have to admit I am biased, Martha is my Mom but I do not remember this recipe while growing up.  My Mom brought a crock pot full of the creamy chicken noodle soup to my office for the girls here to share.  I have been sick with a cold for the past week and not able to keep much down.  The soup was amazing.  I not only kept it down but had two bowls full, it is true comfort food.  I will be making this at home for my family.  Thanks Mom.

Food Tester Carol:  My 95 year old mother says it's like the chicken and dumplings that her mother used to make.  Her mother used to go out and kill a chicken, pluck it, cook it and then make her homemade dumplings for it.  I knew what mother meant.  It has such an intense chicken flavor that permeates the creaminess and the vegetables, we will want to have this a lot.  We both think it's the best chicken noodle soup we've ever tasted!

Tip:  Something else I learned the hard way about eggs is to always look inside the carton when you get them home, before putting them in the refrigerator.  There is always the possibility of an egg breaking during its trip from the store you your home.  If you do find a cracked egg, remove it immediately and if it has leaked onto the other eggs, wash them immediately.