Cajun Chicken Soup

This is a recipe that I used to cook regularly in the winter months while Nick and I lived in Arlington, VA. We'd invite a few friends over for football, put a few logs on the fire, make this soup and enjoy it with some crusty, rustic bread. Just the ticket for a chilly winter day.

Cajun Chicken Soup

Here's what I used:

1 chicken, cut in parts (including back & neck if you can find it)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped garlic (I used pre-chopped garlic from a jar)
3 quarts water
3 tbsp salt
1 tsp Tony Chacheries (or other Cajun seasoning)
2 tsp black pepper
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 bag egg noodles (or linguini/spaghetti broken into 2-3" pieces)

Here's what I did:

Add chicken, water, seasonings and all vegetables to a large stock pot or dutch oven. Bring to a boil, and then down to a simmer for 50 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pot and take off skin. Take meat off the bone and rough chop into bite size pieces, about 1" cubes. While chicken is removed, bring soup back to a boil and add egg noodles. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Once noodles are cooked through, add chicken back into soup and serve.

This soup is so flavorful and rich, while still being healthy, fresh and yummy. Really hit the spot. In fact, this is what I will be having for lunch today, too!!