Make chicken noodle soup 4 ways

WASHINGTON — When you get sick the one food that you can count on is chicken noodle soup. But, when you buy it from a store it can be extremely high in sodium. Author and chef EK Ray brings us his take on homemade chicken noodle soup. Making it homemade is the perfect way to control the nutrition of the meal.

EK’S Light Thai Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons green curry paste
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces thin rice noodles, broken into pieces
• 2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), very thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk and fish sauce; cover and bring to a boil. 
2. Add the bell peppers and noodles and simmer, uncovered, until the noodles are al dente, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer until just cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Add more fish sauce and lime juice, if desired.

EK’s Healthy Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 skin-on bone-in chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and pounded
• 1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 carrot, cut into large pieces
• 1 stalk celery, cut into large pieces
• 1 shallot, peeled and halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 dried Thai chili
• Kosher salt
• 1 5-ounce package baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Add the chicken, lemongrass, ginger, carrot, celery, shallot, bay leaf, black peppercorns, Thai chili and 1 teaspoon salt to a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add 6 cups cold water and place over medium heat. Bring the soup to a simmer, skimming off any residue that may come to the top. Reduce the heat to low; cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool for about 30 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the soup and shred the meat, discarding the bones and skin. Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and return the liquid to the pot. Add the shredded chicken back into the stock, along with the spinach, and bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Serve immediately.

Note: Lemongrass adds a subtle citrus-y flavor to this soup. Smash the stalks with the flat side of a knife to release the oils.

EK’S Creamy Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

For the Roux:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1- cup reduced-salt chicken stock

For the Soup:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 4-6 carrots peeled and cut into 1/8” slices
• 2 celery stalks cut into 1/8” slices
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 3 cups reduced-salt chicken broth
• ¼ cup dry or semi-dry white wine; a good drinking wine
• 3½ cups milk cream or half and half (or a mixture of cream and skim milk)
• 2 tablespoons chicken base granules or chicken cubes
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 1½ teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric optional
• ½ teaspoon paprika optional
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• 4-5 cups cooked chicken cubed or shredded – rotisserie chicken works well, but do NOT use smoked chicken.

Garnish

Shredded Gruyere cheese

Chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

For the Roux:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan then sprinkle the flour on top. Whisk quickly until well combined. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the roux turns light golden brown. Slowly, while whisking, add 1-cup chicken broth to the roux and whisk vigorously until smooth. Remove the roux from the heat and set it aside while combining other ingredients.

For the Soup:

1. In a large Pan, heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil over MED-HIGH heat. Add the carrots and celery, sauté 5 minutes; stir occasionally. Add the diced onions and cook 3 additional minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds – just long enough for the garlic to bloom.
2. Slowly add 1 cup of broth while scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it.  Add the rest of the broth and the wine, the roux and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir often..
3. Add the milk/cream mixture to the soup and return the mixture to a boil. Stir continuously.
4. Reduce the heat to LOW and add all other ingredients except the garnishes.
5. Simmer 15 minutes then taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. This is the time to add salt or pepper, if desired. Continue to simmer the soup until it thickens, about 30-45 minutes more.
6. Discard the bay leaves.
7. Garnish with sprinklings of shredded Gruyere and fresh parsley.
8. Serve with crusty bread. Mmm-Mmm GREAT!
9. Enjoy!!
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EK’s Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless whole chicken breasts                                        
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One 28-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes, with juice
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (more if you like the soup more liquid) 
• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• One 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis, such as Ro*tel
• 4 ounces tomato paste 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped 
• 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (you may add 2 to 3 if you like) 
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Directions:

1. Put the chicken in a slow cooker. Sprinkle on the chili powder, cumin and some salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, black beans, tomatoes with chiles, tomato paste, onion, chipotle pepper and red and yellow peppers. Stir, place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
2. Stir in the lime juice. Remove the chicken to a plate and use 2 forks to break it into chunks (or shred it finely). Return the chicken to the pot, taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
3. Serve piping hot in a bowl with avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, crushed tortilla chips and cilantro leaves on top!