This quick soup is great for winter colds. Many people feel there is little that chicken soup can't cure. The addition of hot pepper, ginger and scallions does wonders for a sore throat and certainly will clear the sinuses.

Cut the chicken meat into 3/4" cubes. In a large, heavy pot or soup kettle, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, and then cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the onion and garlic. Don't be too concerned about things sticking and even burning just a bit on the bottom of the kettle; this is what gives the soup its flavor. When everything starts to brown up, about 5 more minutes, add the CAYENNE PEPPER and GINGER. Adding the full amount of CAYENNE PEPPER will make the soup fairly hot; if you are unsure, start with the smaller amount and adjust upward to taste toward the end of cooking. Stir constantly for about a minute, and then add the water and CHICKEN SOUP BASE. Let everything come to a slow boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 20 minutes. Bring a separate pot of water for the noodles to a boil, add noodles and cook for 1 minute less than the recommended cooking time on the bag. Drain the noodles and add to the pot of soup, turn off the soup, let stand 5 minutes and serve. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of chopped scallions. Noodles don't reheat very well, so if the soup won't be eaten all at once, add some cooked noodles to each bowl, top with soup, let stand a few minutes for the noodles to absorb the good chicken flavor, and keep the rest of the noodles in a covered container in the fridge to add to the reheated soup the next day, or just cook new ones.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8 one-cup servings