Here’s a soup that will pep up anybody who needs a little comfort and warmth. Instead of using long noodles though, I like to substitute shorter pastas such as penne or rotini you don’t need to worry about using a fork and spoon to eat your warm soup. The addition of milk to the vitamin packed chicken broth adds extra vitamin D and calcium.

Serves 10

Ingredients
8 cups of water
2 chicken breasts bone in
12 cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped
1/2 large white onion diced
1 large carrot peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
2 medium celery stalks chopped into bite-sized chunks
2 cups of rotini pasta (or your favorite pasta)
1 cup skim milk
3 1/2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Chopped green onion(scallions) for garnish

Method

In a large pot, bring 7 cups of water to a vigorous boil then gently add the chicken breasts. Allow to boil vigorously for a few minutes then turn heat down to medium, ensuring that a rolling boil continues.
Place the garlic and onion into the broth; continue to simmer. Occasionally skim the “dirt” off the top of the broth.

After 40-45 minutes of simmering, remove the chicken adding 1 cup of water and continue to simmer. Shred the chicken into thin strips or cut into small bite size cubes. Return the shredded chicken to the broth and add the carrots and celery.
In a separate pot, cook the pasta until just barely al dente; drain the pasta.
Add the milk, salt and pepper to the broth; stir well. Add the pasta and stir thoroughly; simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve the soup garnished with chopped green onion (scallions).