Roasted Garlic Chicken Noodle Soup

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. Remove and tent with foil to cool. Shred when cooled and set aside for later use.

Place cut garlic heads in double thick foil, season with salt and pepper and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes until garlic is tender and browned. Allow to cool before adding into the soup.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sweat until onion becomes translucent and tender, about 2 minutes. Add the pinch of red pepper flakes, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of the heads and into the pot, stir in to combine, breaking up the garlic until it becomes a paste. Add a little drizzle of olive oil if needed and add the flour to make a roux. Cook the flour into the mixture stirring for about 2 minutes.

Slowly add the stock into the pot, while stirring. Bring soup to a simmer. Add the macaroni salad pasta to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes until pasta is cooked. Fold in the shredded chicken. Reduce heat to low.

For the Gruyere toasts, butter the baguette slices and top with cheese. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is browned.

Serve Gruyere toasts with the soup and garnish with fresh chives. Enjoy!