Chicken Meatball Soup

I'll call this the un-wedding soup.  I love all food, especially soup.  I love soup a lot!  Italian Wedding Soup, however, is one that I just can't do.  I've tried.  So I thought that if I make it, surely I'll like it too.  (I'm that conceited to think that I could make it better than any restaurant)

I couldn't do it!  I couldn't bring myself to even try it at home.  I made the meatballs and then I bailed.  I felt like such a failure until my resulting concoction turned out pretty good...and then the leftovers were even better.  So, tonight I tried to re-create my un-wedding soup.  It's about like I remember, and now we're looking forward to the leftovers!

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 Lb Ground Chicken Breast                    2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

¼ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs                    ¼ Medium White Sweet Onion

½ Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs               1 Egg 
Update:  I now add a clove of garlic, minced (Yum!)        

                                      

Soup

2 Tbsp Margarine or Butter                     2 Packages Baby Bella Mushrooms

¾ Medium Sweet Onion                         1 Tbsp Parsely

½ Cup Marsala Cooking Wine                  1 ½ Cartons Unsalted Chicken Stock

1 ½ Cartons Water                                               

½ Lb Medium or Broad Egg Noodles

Preheat oven to 400*.  Finely dice ¼ of the onion, should be about ½ cup.  Mix the meatball ingredients and shape into small balls.  Mine were the size of a quarter and could have been smaller.  Bake for 20 minutes (less if your meatballs are smaller), rolling them over with 5 minutes remaining. 

Dice the remaining onion.  Saute the onion and mushrooms in margarine until the onions are translucent.  Add the marsala cooking wine or sherry.  Feel free to use the real thing here, but I’m a big fan of the cooking varieties.  Simmer for several minutes until the wine has cooked down some.  Add the chicken stock.  Use the empty carton to add equal parts of water.

Add the meatballs to the broth.  Bring to a healthy boil for at least 5 minutes to extract some flavors out of the meatballs.  Reduce to a medium boil and add the egg noodles.  Cook according to package instructions and then a few minutes longer.  They’re never soft enough to absorb the flavors when you follow the package!  Enjoy, and get ready for the leftovers, they’re the best part!