CHICKEN NOODLE STEW

CHICKEN NOODLE STEW
Yum!  Yum!  Perfect comfort food.  We put on top of mashed potatoes.  Perfect!  Plan on 1 hour to make.  A great 1 bowl meal.  Would be a good one to take to others (taking in a meal).

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/chicken-noodle-stew/

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1 cup chopped carrots (about 2-3 peeled carrots)
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 2-3 stalks)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 16 ounces frozen egg noodles (like Reames brand) - found at WinCo (12 oz bag would be okay)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3-4 cups cooked, chopped chicken (a rotisserie chicken works great)

1. In a 5- or 6-quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are slightly tender, 5-6 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
2. Add the frozen noodles and simmer for 18 minutes (or according to package directions), until they are mostly tender (they’ll cook a few more minutes in the next step).
3. In a liquid measuring cup or blender, whisk or blend the milk and flour together until smooth (no lumps!). Whisk the mixture quickly into the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the frozen peas and cooked chicken and heat through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste before serving. The soup will thicken as it sits (and if there are leftovers, they’ll definitely thicken up even more in the refrigerator).