Recipe: Saveur's Peruvian Chicken Noodle Soup, Leicafied

It's winter and the city has been gripped by intensely cold temperatures. To alleviate the shivers, I made some fabulous noodle soup last night and it was comforting, warming and absolutely delicious.

I have been dying to try this recipe ever since I saw the it in Saveur magazine. And what better time than a cold, snowy evening? Since I didn't have the time to make my own broth, I used store bought broth (I find that Trader Joe's Organic Free-Range Chicken broth has the most flavor, but any brand will do). With a little help from my husband's taste buds, I also employed some Asian ingredients to amplify the flavors, bringing more richness and depth to the dish.

Ingredients:

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely diced

1 carrot, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp pepper

2 32oz cartons chicken broth

3 TBSPs soy sauce

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

4 large handfuls of Wide Egg Noodles

Garnish:

lime wedge

chopped scallions

chiffonade of cilantro

hard boiled egg (optional)

In a small stock pan or dutch oven, pour olive oil over medium high heat, add onions, carrots and celery and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for another 1 minute. Add chicken strips and saute until somewhat browned. Season with pepper. Add both cartons of broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a slow simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes.

Season with soy sauce and garlic powder. Bring back to a boil and add the egg noodles. Lower heat to a medium simmer and cover. Simmer until noodles are cooked.

To serve, ladle soup in a bowl, sprinkle lime juice (from one small wedge) onto soup. Top with scallions and cilantro. If you'd like, put a halved hard-boiled egg into the soup.

Enjoy!