As the days get shorter and a chill settles in, my thoughts naturally turn to comfort food. For me, nothing quite embodies that feeling like a simple bowl of chicken noodle soup. It’s a dish I’ve been making for years, tweaking and adjusting it to my own tastes.
I’m happy to share different recipe, that are reliable and satisfying without being overly fussy.
Ultra-Satisfying Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, 4 to 5 thighs
- 5 ounces egg noodles or pasta of choice
- 2 tablespoons butter, chicken fat, or olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped, optional
- 1 heaped tablespoon minced garlic, 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 cups chicken stock or broth, low sodium, or use homemade stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Water or more stock, as needed
Instructions:
Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat then add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme and cook, while stirring the garlic around the pan, for about 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a low simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Submerge the chicken thighs into the soup so that the broth covers them. Bring the soup back to a low simmer then partially cover the pot with a lid and cook, stirring a few times until the chicken thighs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. If, during this time, the broth seems low, add a splash more stock or a bit of water and turn the heat to medium-low.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Stir the noodles into the soup and cook until done, 6 to 10 minutes depending on the type of noodles used.
While the noodles cook, shred the chicken into strips or dice into cubes then slide the chicken back into the pot and taste the soup once more for seasoning, adjusting with more salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the parsley and serve.
Truly Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Tablespoon butter
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3-4 large carrots diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 10 cups chicken stock, or broth
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, or more, to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 batch homemade egg noodles, or 4 cups dry egg noodles, farfalle or other bite-size pasta
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken
- 1 teaspoon better than bouillon chicken flavor, (or more, as needed), or chicken bouillon granules
Instructions:
Make Homemade Chicken Stock ahead of time using a rotisserie chicken, or choose a good brand of store-bought chicken stock.
Add butter, diced celery and carrots to a large stock pot over medium-high heat and sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add chicken stock and season the broth with rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper, and salt (definitely TASTE the broth before adding more salt), and pepper. Taste and add a spoonful of “better than bullion” chicken or chicken bouillon cubes or granules as needed.
Bring broth to a boil. Add noodles (either uncooked homemade egg noodles, or dry store-bought pasta) and cook just until noodles are al dente. If using store-bought noodles, be cautious not to overcook them! Remove pot from heat as soon as they are just barely tender because the noodles will continue to cook once you remove the pot from the heat, and you don’t want them mushy.
Add chicken meat from the rotisserie chicken. Taste the broth again and add more seasonings, if needed. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, depending on the freshness of the chicken you used.
Best Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- Chicken
- Carrots
- Celery
- Egg noodles
- Chicken stock
- Onion
- Thyme
- Bay leaf
- Parsley
Instructions:
In a large, deep pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Season chicken on all sides with 2 tsp salt, then add to pot skin side down and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then turn and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 5 minutes more.
Add stock, water, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 165°, 20 to 30 minutes.
Transfer chicken breasts to a cutting board. Continue to cook dark meat about 40 minutes more. Transfer dark meat to cutting board and let cool at least 10 minutes. Remove skin and bones and discard and shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Meanwhile, discard thyme and bay leaf. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook over medium-low heat, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a bare simmer and stirring occasionally, until just barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente, about 5 minutes more.
Stir in chicken and pepper and season with remaining 2 tsp salt, as needed.
Divide soup among bowls and top with parsley and more pepper.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- Butter
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Chicken broth
- Potato
- Chicken
- Half-and-half/milk
- Egg noodles
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven (4-quart or larger) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
Next, add the chicken broth and potato. Give everything a quick stir, then increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the soup to a boil, without stirring, and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and allow to simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes have softened. Taste the soup, and add more seasonings to taste, if desired.
Add the chicken, half-and-half/milk, and noodles and cook for 10 minutes until the noodles are tender and the soup has thickened. Once again, taste the soup and add more seasoning as desired. Serve warm.
Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To reheat, simply pour into a pot over medium heat and cook until warm. Feel free to add more chicken broth to the leftovers if it’s too thick. (Soup thickens in the refrigerator as the noodles and potatoes soak up the liquid.
