Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

With this cold weather, soup seemed like just what the doctor (and husband) ordered. I also love making soup because you tend to have leftovers for at least a few meals. This portion size made enough for us to have dinner, and have 1-2 portions left for lunch today. Most of you will notice that I did not put onion in this version of soup - that's simply because a) I'm supposed to be laying off of them and b) I didn't have any on hand. It was still quite tasty! Give this soup a try and stay warm!

Servings: 3-4 (depending on how hungry you are)

Ingredients:

Note: If you want to add onion, use 1 small yellow onion, diced

1 tb olive oil

~ 1 pound chicken breasts

1 cup celery stalks, chopped

1 cup shredded carrots (or diced carrots)

1 garlic clove, minced

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 tb fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp fresh parsley

dash or two of onion powder (you can leave this out if using an onion)

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup pasta (I recommend using a smaller size noodle)

Directions:

In a large pot, add enough salted water to cover the chicken breasts and bring to a boil. Cook until cooked through, about 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken). In the meantime, in a large stock pot or dutch oven, add 1 tb olive oil and warm over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add in the carrots and celery (and onion if using onion). Stir for another 2 minutes or so with a dash of salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, and onion powder. Add in the pasta, cover, and cook until the pasta is tender - about 10-15 minutes (depending on the pasta) over medium heat. While that's cooking, shred the chicken. Add in the shredded chicken, a little more salt and pepper, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer together for about 5 minutes and serve. Enjoy!