After a couple of spoonfuls of this soup, you’ll be thinking Goldilocks had it pretty well figured out… OK, work with me here — no, it’s not porridge, it’s soup — but I guarantee that you’ll feel “just right” after you taste it. And there’s our segue to The Goldilocks Principal: Scientists & economists (and food bloggers) named it for those special moments in time when the universe aligns, and conditions are such that good things happen. In other words, of the great range of all possible conditions on Earth, the actual conditions are “just right” to support life, or occasionally, moderate economic growth and low inflation — but in this case, a decent bowl of soup! The Goldilocks Principal. Think about it… what if bacon didn’t exist?

A bacon blog and you’re talking science, economics, philosophy and nursery tales…how cool is that?

This is a hearty soup with an interesting combination of flavors: the radish gives it punch because of it’s peppery characteristic, and the bacon complements that with the unmistakable salty, smoky signature it brings to the bowl. The other veggies, pasta and chicken make it a meal — it’s really tasty!

On to the ingredients:

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Bacon & Radish Chicken Noodle Soup!
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 8
 

A hearty chicken noodle soup with a bite and smoky bacon flavors.
Ingredients
  • 4 Cups Vegetable Broth (one container of the boxed organic kind).
  • 4 Cups Water.
  • 2-3 Cloves Garlic, minced.
  • 4 Tomatoes.
  • 1 Celery Stalk.
  • 2 Carrots.
  • ¾ - 1 Yellow Onion.
  • 6 Red Radishes.
  • ½ Package Pasta (Trader Joe’s has some great noodles for soups).
  • 2 Chicken Breasts — about ¾ pound.
  • 5-8 Slices Bacon, depending on thickness.
  • 2 TBSP Olive oil.
  • 1 TBSP Soy sauce.
  • Salt.
  • Pepper.

Instructions
  1. Dice celery, carrots, onion, radishes and tomatoes.
  2. Using your favorite method, cook bacon until crispy, pat dry and chop into ½ inch sections.
  3. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
  4. Heat oil in small frying pan on medium, and add chicken.
  5. Cook chicken halfway through (3-4 minutes), then add soy sauce and finish cooking chicken.
  6. Transfer chicken and bacon to dutch oven or slow cooker (preferred).
  7. Add liquids, vegetables and garlic.
  8. Salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Simmer for 3 hours — low heat setting.
  10. Add uncooked pasta 30 minutes before serving.

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For this recipe, I baked the bacon in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, and I used a lot. Hello! That’s a baker’s half sheet!

While the bacon was in the oven, I cooked the chicken in a cast iron skillet.

When the chicken was done, all the ingredients were introduced to each other in the slow cooker — or soup jacuzzi as I like to call it - to simmer for at least three hours.

After allowing Goldilocks to take a 3 hour snooze in Wee Bear’s bed, it’s time to call her to the table. The Bacon & Radish Chicken Noodle Soup is ready to eat!

You will enjoy this hearty soup. Served with a small salad, a loaf of artisan bread, and a glass of wine — it’s tough to beat. It is in fact, just right!