I’ve been feeling under the weather this past week, so I figured the perfect soup to make would be some sort of Chicken Noodle Soup. I came across Tyler Florence’s recipe for Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup, and knew that I had to make it.  I grew up eating what I called “Oodles of Noodles”  (Ramen Noodles) and I still enjoy them to this day. I guess that’s because they were never a staple meal when I was in college.   But this soup is very good and so simple (and quick) – you’ve gotta try it!

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into ½-inch-thick slices
• 2 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 quart organic chicken stock
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces instant Ramen noodles
• 1½ cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaf and thyme. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.

Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper; bring the liquid to a boil.

Add the Ramen noodles and simmer for 3 minutes until tender.

Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

There was one thing I wanted to note regarding the Ramen noodles. Since I doubled the recipe, I was going to use the noodles from 6 packs of Ramen noodles, but  after putting 4 packs of noodles in, I didn’t want to put in any more. There was plenty there (in my opinion) so I left it at 4 packs.

Well as you can see this is a very simple recipe. I ended up roasting a chicken in the crock pot and using that for the soup. Roasted chicken always packs so much extra flavor and I love using it whenever I can.  It worked out perfectly. I also doubled all of the ingredients because I wanted leftovers.  I think it’s very important to use the fresh herbs here, and not dried. This is a delicious, fresh soup that can be made in no time.