Delicious Reading: Hygge Chicken Noodle Soup

Stock image.

One of the Oxford Dictionary’s 2016 “Words of the Year” was “hygge,” a Danish term defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Pronounced “hoo-guh,” the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though “cozy” comes close.

Brooke Clubbs

Winter is prime hygge time. The cold, gray days make me want to come home from work and get into my flannel jammies and fuzzy socks, burn candles and make soup.

I sometimes have a hard time getting my family on board with soup for dinner. I have to jazz up taco soup with a side of tortilla chips that can be made into nachos. They may only eat the grilled cheese that goes along with the tomato soup. I wanted to find a soup that could stand alone.

This recipe is adapted from one I found on Pinterest called “Crack Chicken Noodle Soup” that led me to MyIncredibleRecipes.com. That site’s author has a Facebook presence, and her site is full of ads. The posts seem to be written entirely in CAPS LOCK. Even though sites like these can be disappointing, the ideas and pictures that led me there inspired me to create something wonderful of my own. This adapted soup was a hit with my family; no side dishes required. Very hygge indeed.

Ingredients:

• 3 cooked chicken breasts

• 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup

• 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

• 1 cup evaporated milk

• 2, 14.5-ounce cans sliced carrots, drained

• 1-ounce packet Ranch dressing mix

• 12 bacon strips, baked at 400 for 15 minutes, then crumbled

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used reduced-fat.)

• 8-ounce cream cheese, softened and cut into chunks (I used reduced-fat.)

• 8 ounces thin spaghetti, uncooked and broken into small pieces

Directions:

Combine chicken, condensed soup, chicken stock, milk, cream cheese, carrots, ranch dressing mix and crumbled bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.

Add noodles and cheese, and simmer on medium-low until noodles are fully cooked, about 20 minutes.