This Chicken Paprikash Soup brings all the same comfort as chicken noodle soup, but with a paprika flavoured broth and a bit of sour cream added to the mix.
1boneless chicken breast, or 2 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces *or see Note 1 for pre-cooked chicken options
1Tablespoonbutter
1/3cuponion, diced
Pinchred chili pepper flakes, optional
4Cupschicken broth
4oz.dried egg noodles, about 2 cups
14ozcanned tomatoes, whole hand crushed, diced, crushed or canned cherry tomatoes, with liquid (398 ml)
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/2teaspoonpepper
1Tablespoonsweet paprika
1/4teaspoondried thyme leaves
1/4teaspoondried basil leaves
1/8teaspoondried oregano leaves
1cupwater, plus more as needed to thin
1/4-1/3cupfresh parsley, chopped
1/4cupsour cream, plus a bit more if you'd like it creamier
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
To serve:
Additional chopped parsley
Red pepper flakes
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Instructions
In a large pot on the stovetop, place the butter, chicken, onion and red pepper flakes, if using. Pour about one cup of the chicken broth overtop. Heat over medium heat until boiling, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer about 5 minutes.
Use a potato masher to shred the chicken a bit.
Add in the remaining broth, the egg noodles, canned tomatoes, spices and salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat just slightly to allow it to boil gently until pasta is softened to al dente. *If soup starts to get too thick as the noodles cook, add more water, as needed.
When the noodles are cooked, mix in the parsley and sour cream. Taste the soup and add additional salt, as needed. *If the soup tastes flat, it needs more salt :)
Serve garnished with additional parsley and a few red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
Note 1: You can use cooked, leftover chicken or chicken from a rotisserie chicken. Use about 1 1/2-2 cups. Simmer the cooked chicken, as done with the raw chicken, to soften it up to mash. Variations: You can add very finely chopped carrot and/or celery with onion mix, if you like. You could also stir in a bit of baby spinach during the last few minutes of cooking. In both cases, you may need to add a bit more broth or water to thin the soup, as needed.Re-heating and Freezing: If making ahead or for left-over soup, note that the noodles will absorb much of the liquid in the soup as it sits. To re-heat add additional chicken broth or water, a bit at a time as reheating, until the desired consistency. You may need to add up to 2 cups. Noodle soups don't freeze well, as the noodles tend to get mushy after the freeze/thaw process.