Chicken Soup for the Expat Soul

Posted on by

There is nothing like Mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup to cure all hangovers aches and pains, sniffles and sore throats. But getting Mom to cook us that favourite dish when we live across oceans and mountains is asking the impossible.

So, what’s an expat do to? Learn the tricks of the trade!

It is with great pleasure to announce that I have mastered my Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup. I’m going to share with you how to do it yourself whether you are staying in a hostel in the Alps or are snowboarding in the Blue mountains. Oh – and it’s super cheap too! This is the recipe for you.

Before we get started, I think it’s important for you to know that I don’t measure things, ever. Instead I use the eye-ball approach. How many guests x amount of veggies & chicken = when I think it’s enough I begin to chop.

Chicken Soup for the Expat Soul

You will need:

  • 2 large pots (one for par-boiling the chicken and the other to simmer the soup in.)
  • Water. I usually fill the pot 3/4 full.
  • 1 Flavoured cube like Oxo for the broth base (yes, you can also make your own broth with the water from the par-boiled chicken – but I think that’s gross.)
  • Carrots
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Celery
  • Parsley
  • Basil
  • Noodles (I prefer the small thin noodles but it’s not important what you use. I’ve used penne and farfalla in the past.)
  • Olive oil (because life is better with a bit of oil).

Getting started

  • Par-boil chicken for about 10 mins. It’s best to use chicken on the bone.
  • Chop all ingredients to whatever size you desire.
  • Add all ingredients (at the same time) to the 2nd pot of boiled water.
  • Add par-boiled chicken to the veggie pot.
  • Add a splash of olive oil.
  • Stir occasionally.
  • Simmer for 2.5 hours. (Note – this can be made within the hour but the flavours develop if allowed to simmer longer.)
  • Remove chicken from the bone.
  • Add your noodles towards the end of cooking.

Now all you need is a dash of parmesan cheese and your Chicken Soup for the Expat’s Soul is ready.

I made this soup for dinner yesterday evening. And, as usual it was a hit. There were about 8 servings for the low, low-cost of €6.00! Snaptastic! The most expensive item was the half chicken at €3.00.

Dig in and enjoy.

What comfort food from home do you make for your family?

Check out some other expat blogger’s recipes for a cold day:

Pumpkin and pancetta soup via Girl in Florence
Cold weather? don’t worry, re-heat some ribollita via Our Adventure in Croatia

37 thoughts on “Chicken Soup for the Expat Soul”

  1. Pingback: Cheery Chicken Soup for dogs-Soulful and Satisfying - Wag The Dog UK

  2. Pingback: Chicken Soup for the Soul:Indian College Students | Pendown

  3. Pingback: Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup for Warming the Mind, Body & Soul | Simply Sophisticated Cooking

  5. I make lots of soup, and this one looks great! I will add it to my list of soups and make it soon! Thanks for sharing, you can always use another chicken soup recipe! Perfect weather is coming up out here in Northern California! Have a great day and enjoy your Mom’s soup! I just finished making a large pot of my father’s Sardinian Beef Stew!

    The Sard/American,
    Rosemarie

    Reply ↓

  7. There is a chicken soup recipe in every country,I found one even in Cuba and they have it in 35 degrees heat,had chicken soup two weeks ago in Singapore in Little India and a month ago in Shanghai,Italians would never dream of having soup in the middle of the summer but it seems to be very common in other parts of the world.

    Reply ↓

  8. I was an expat living in Palau and on La Madelena in the 90’s. The Sardo women make an awesome soup at the Festa’s but I can’t remember the name. was a clear broth with the tiny noodles. love the blog

    Reply ↓

  9. I love soup and I love made chicken soup, this is fantastic because is easy recipe. Now I live in London and I made chicken soup when I know where the chicken is organic. When I’am in Sardinia , my mother use “sa fregula” (she made), also I use to put a dry tomato and the olive oil in every individual plate as they like.

    Reply ↓

  10. Sounds good – the temperatures are getting cooler here and it’s the good season for soup. When I moved apartments I inherited a new soup pot left behind by the previous tenant, so I’ll need to break it in!

    Reply ↓

  11. looks delicious.
    I usually make a “leftover roast” soup… literally everything that is left over from roasting vegetables gets whizzed up with the chicken stock (made from the chicken carcass after it has been picked clean) and, of course, any left-over chunks of chicken get thrown in at the end!

    Reply ↓

  14. Sounds as though you have mastered Chicken Soup, remember to take the chicken off the bone before you add the veggies.

    Reply ↓

  19. Your soup looks great! Try it sometime minus the garlic but with a little lemon juice and fresh cilantro added just before serving; it changes the whole meaning of chicken soup!
    .
    Here’s a family favorite of ours. You can make this anywhere you can find Velveeta and it will take you right back home for the holidays (if, that is, it’s a traditional holiday treat in your family!).
    .
    * * *Velveeta Chocolate Fudge * * *
    2# Kraft Velveeta brand processed cheese product (beware of imitators, though they might work in a pinch)
    2# butter (not margarine!) melted
    4# powdered sugar
    2 cups powdered cocoa
    Splash of vanilla
    BIG mixing bowl and a strong spoon
    Yield: Over 8# of intense fudge, several cavities, some stomach aches, and the need to buy bigger clothes.
    .
    Melt together the cheese and butter (gently) then mix in the cocoa and vanilla and pour into mixing bowl (it’s already a delicious chocolate sauce at this point). Then stir in the powdered sugar a little at a time (yes, it WILL all fit, eventually!). Forget about your electric mixer; this is an arm-muscle job; find a helper! Mix it forever then spread it about 1 inch thick in a pan(s) and top with nuts if desired. When set, cut into SMALL squares; this stuff is very, very rich!
    It will keep for a long time if A: not eaten (unlikely) or B: wrapped well. Frig and freezer work well too! Found some in the freezer nearly a year later and it was fine!
    .
    Final step: Don’t tell anyone that there’s Velveeta in it! This is a secret recipe that no one knows about because no one would even try it if they knew what was in it!
    .
    So buy a can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup for dinner (you’ll be too worn out from making fudge to feel like cooking) and serve this fudge for dessert! Nobody will even remember the soup…
    .
    This is the best fudge you’ll ever have and will become a family favorite, guaranteed! Creamy and rich enough to plug arteries or kill a diabetic with one bite! You won’t taste the (fake) cheese but that’s what makes it sooo creamy!
    ( Ignore the recipe on the Velveeta website; borrring!)

    Reply ↓

  20. gosh, must be this autumn weather, I was just about to post a soup recipe… It’s cold in London today 🙂 sounds like your Mama used to make.

    Reply ↓

Leave a reply to Lilly Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.