GROCERY LIST:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Italian seasoning
• Butter
• Fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 3 whole carrots (diced)
• As much garlic as you want (minced)
• A few stalks of celery (chopped)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 64oz of high quality chicken broth
• Egg Noodles (about half the bag)
• 1/4 cup of flour
• Heavy Cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 F
• Pre-heat a large heavy bottomed pot on medium heat with some olive oil
• Season your chicken breasts with a seasoning of your choice (I used cajun seasoning)
• Get a good sear on both sides of your chicken breasts, then place them in the oven until the internal temp reads 160-165 F.
  • It’s important to get some good color on the chicken, as it will produce some fond on the bottom of the pot that will give the veg some color and flavor
• While your chicken is cooking, add some more olive oil to the pot with a spoon full of butter, then drop in your carrots and celery. Give them about a 5 minute head start, as they will take longer to cook down.
• After 5 minutes or so, drop in your onion and cook for another 4-5 minutes
  • I like to add a good pinch of salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning right here also.
• Once the onions start to turn color, drop in your garlic and cook until fragrant.
• Slowly add in your flour, and stir until it sticks to the veggies. Cook it down for a few minutes.
  • They will clump up a little bit, but don’t panic.
• Deglaze with a little bit of chicken stock, then slowly add the rest of it in.
  • Stir vigorously as you are adding it in to make sure the veggies un-clump (not sure that’s a word but that’s what happens)
• Add a little more Italian seasoning, then bring to a rolling boil until your carrots are tender.
• At this point, your chicken should be done. Take it out of the oven, shred it, then add it to the pot.
• Drop in your egg noodles, a pinch of fresh parsley, and the juice of half a lemon.
• Bring it back to a simmer, and stir occasionally until the noodles are tender.
• Drop in a little bit of heavy cream just to get the color right. Heat through.
• Finish with some more fresh parsley.

I served this with some garlic bread. I just got a baguette and some garlic and herb butter, slathered them, and baked them until the butter melted. It was awesome.

You can get creative with this one, too. I bet some fresh ginger in with the garlic would be great if you’re feeling under the weather.