Nothing soothes the soul better than a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup. Add a pinch of saffron and there is nothing more comforting! If you haven’t had saffron you are truly missing out on a simple component that could add massive flavor to your food. Albeit an expensive herb, a little goes a long way!
Saffron origins
Saffron use and cultivation spans 3,500 years and derives from the stigma of the Saffron Crocus, a delicate beautiful purple flower. Its origins are traced back to Greece and/ or Central Asia. Hand harvested due to its fragile state, this herb isn’t cheap…a little goes a long way. I use my saffron sparingly but love to spoil my children in love with the food I create especially when they fall ill. To find out more about Saffron here is a short 6 minute documentary that I found thoroughly intriguing.
This chicken noodle soup is a spin on a classic and conceived in the midst of a particularly rough week of colds in all of my darlings. With the leaves changing and the weather quite odd, the runny noses and sniffles begin. As most parents know it’s simply hard to deal with sick kids especially when they don’t want to eat. I am always lucky enough to have ALL FOUR children sick at once so I tend to make something that is not only delicious and filling, but in bulk to save time and tend to them more adequately.
You don’t need to have sick children, or be sick yourself, to enjoy this classic dish. If you just simply want a hug in a bowl to enjoy with a good book, this is the recipe for you.
I used a whole chicken pressure cooked in the Instant Pot seeing because I had a whole chicken in the freezer that needed to be used. You can also buy a rotisserie chicken pre-cooked from any major grocery chain for efficiency, and you can also use an electric roaster. Here is one from reign-drop.com (my online general kitchen store).
I cooked the chicken from frozen so it took about 30 minutes in the Instant Pot, which is AMAZING! I really can’t stress enough how convenient making a chicken in the pressure cooker is. It has saved me so much time not needing to defrost meat because, quite frankly, I do not plan ahead that well when it comes to dinner. Not to mention, I typically buy meat in bulk to make sure all the little mouths are fed, and freeze most of it upon arrival.
In an effort to be mindful and waste nothing, I used the leftover bones to make a delicious bone broth that I use in all dishes. From mashed potatoes to soups, I use my own homemade broth for health, and more importantly flavor, as I did in this recipe.
Garnish
Squeezing a wedge of fresh lime as garnish adds freshness and zest to elevate the soup to new heights and very well may become your family’s new tradition. Adding a bit of chopped parsley or cilantro is also an option.
Saffron Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Whole Chicken Preparation
- 1 Whole Chicken or 3 cups Shredded, Rotisserie
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsp Butter Melted
Soup Ingredients
- 1 Lb Egg Noodles
- 1 Cup Carrots Minced
- 1 Cup Celery Minced
- 1 Cup Onion Minced
- 1/4 Tsp Saffron
- 1 Lime Sliced
- 6 Cups Chicken Broth Canned/Home made
- Salt and Pepper To Taste
Instructions
- Place chicken on trivet in Instant Pot. Season with salt and pepper. Baste chicken with olive oil and melted butter. Add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pot and cover. Set to 30 min (40 if frozen) on manual. Make sure the vent is sealed.
- While chicken is cooking, finely chop vegetables in the food processor. Saute until softened.
- Once chicken is finished, let cool and shred.
- Combine all ingredients including, chicken, sauteed vegetables, noodles, spices, and saffron in Instant Pot and cover with chicken broth. Avoid stirring the pasta as to not have it stick together. Set to manual for 8 minutes making sure the vent is sealed.
- Once time is up do a quick release, stir, serve, and enjoy.
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