Chicken Spaetzle Soup

Make the Chicken Soup

1. In a large saucepot or a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Season all sides of the chicken with salt and pepper while the oil heats.
3. Add the chicken breasts to the pot when the oil is hot. Cook until browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
5. Add the chopped onions, celery and carrots to the pot. Cook until softened, about 4-6 minutes. Stir them constantly, pulling up browned bits from the bottom of the pan because that is flavor.
6. Pour in the unsalted chicken stock, and add the chicken back in.
7. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken pulls apart easily.
8. Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred with forks or a stand mixer before placing them back into the soup.
9. Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Make the Spaeztle

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt to season the water.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg until the yolk is broken.
3. Pour in the water and milk, whisking until the wet ingredients are combined.
4. Measure the flour and salt into the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined.
5. Using a spaetzle maker or a colander with a rubber spatula pushing the dough through to create the egg noodles. Let them fall directly into the pot of boiling water.
6. Boil the spaeztle for 3-4 minutes, or until the noodles float to the top and are cooked through.
7. Use a spider strainer to pull them from the water, and drain in a colander. Keep them separate from the soup so that they don't become soggy.

Make a bowl of soup

1. Add spaetzle to the bottom of a bowl, then pour the chicken soup on top.
2. Top with more spaeztle.
3. Enjoy warm!