Curried Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 large red bell pepper cut in thin strips (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach (about 3 cups)
• 1/2 (11-ounce) package wide rice stick noodles (pad thai noodles)
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil or canola
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 teaspoons green curry paste
• 1-1/2 teaspoon scurry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 limes cut in quarters

Instructions

1. 1
   Bring water to boil in a large stock pot. Add chicken breasts and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 20 minutes, remove chicken breasts with a strainer, and set aside to cool.
2. 2
   To the chicken water, add the red bell pepper strips and cook for 30 seconds. Add the spinach, cook for 30 seconds, and with a strainer, remove pepper and spinach to a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Add noodles to the boiling liquid and cook for 3 minutes. Strain out noodles and add to spinach mixture in bowl. Transfer hot broth to a large heatproof container.
3. 3
   In the now-empty pan, add olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped shallots, curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, coriander and garlic. Saute 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add broth back into pan and bring just to a boil. Meanwhile, shred the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces.
4. 4
   Add coconut milk to the broth, reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes. Add in the chicken, green onions, sugar and fish sauce; heat for 2 minutes. Add noodle and spinach mixture back into the stockpot. Stir in cilantro and crushed red pepper.
5. 5
   Squeeze two lime wedges over the soup and stir in. Adjust seasoning to taste and simmer for a final 5 minutes. Serve in individual bowls, topped with a lime wedge.