East Nashville Chicken Soup & Marinara

I was blessed to grow up in a house where when Mom said we were having chicken noodle soup, it meant she spent hours simmering chopped onions, celery, and carrots with fresh chicken and amish-made noodles. The whole house smelled like a sea-side feast. The air swirling with the sent of salted broth could easily lead an afternoon nap drifting into dreams of the ocean.

Nothing warms warms a home like soup. Between the ice and the snow and the wintery blasts, I found my self longing for that warmth. So, I set out to try my hand at my own recipe for chicken noodle soup, inspired by the East Nashville Spice Company. It's a little different. I really like it. There were a few bumps along the way. However, those bumps also lead to another recipe for some kind of East Nashville, Itallian, Chicken dish...It tasted so good and I have no idea what to properly call it, so we'll just stick with East Nashville Chicken Marinara, for now. (Name suggestions welcome!)

East Nashville Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

8 chicken breast tenderloins

olive oil

East Nashville Spice Company All Purpose Original Seasoning & Rub

8 cups water (divided)

7 chicken bullion cubes (divided)

1/2 box pasta of your choice (I used penne)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

12 baby carrots, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Pour olive oil into a large stovetop pan, just enough to coat the bottom. Heat over medium heat. Add chicken and coat the up-facing sides with the East Nash. Spice Co. seasoning. Continue to heat until thoroughly cooked (chicken should be white all the way through), flipping once in the pan.

2. In a large pot, heat 6 cups water to a boil. Dissolve 6 chicken bullion cubes in the pot of hot water. Add pasta, celery, and carrots, boiling until pasta is tender.

3. Lower the pot to low heat. Add 2 more cups water and the last bullion cube. Shred the chicken into bite sized pieces. Add chicken to the pot and stir.

That's it! Super easy and the East Nash spice gives it a delicious new kick.

Alright, here's where the Italian dish came in. When I set out to make the soup, I put in too many noodles (I used the whole box). After boiling, it quickly became a chicken pasta in a very thin sauce. Oops! At my mother's suggestion (brilliant woman!) I added a jar of Prego Traditional Italian Sauce. Now, when I make a large pot of soup and want a new twist on leftovers, I'll just add the other half box of noodles and sauce! Instant Italian yum!

East Nashville Chicken Marinara

Ingredients:

Same as above, plus 1/2 box pasta and 24 oz jar of Prego Traditional Italian Sauce.

Instructions:

Follow Same instructions for the soup above, however dump the entire box of pasta in step two and the jar of Prego after step 3.