Last updated on October 12th, 2021 at 02:58 pm
In sickness and in health, chicken noodle soup is there for you. It’s a soup that is also a warm, comforting hug.
Piping hot broth brimming with hearty vegetables, tender chicken, and plump noodles make this soup come to life. Kids, adults, grandparents, and teens all love the simple goodness of a great chicken noodle soup.
You can even make a huge vat of this and store it for eating later. And it is indispensable to have this soup on hand in the freezer for when anyone isn’t feeling well. I love storing mine in these quart-sized deli containers either in the fridge or freezer. Then just defrost if needed and reheat on the stovetop and it is as if you made it fresh. It can store for 3 to 5 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken – This recipe is great for using leftover chicken or just pulling the meat off of a rotisserie chicken. If you are using leftovers, make sure that whatever flavor used on the chicken will work with the soup. I’m not sure if chicken smothered in bbq sauce would work with all these other flavors.
Noodles – Thick, wider egg noodles work great for this soup. They soak up that flavorful broth and give a great consistency for everything. Looking for the noodles at the store, you may need to look towards the very top or bottom of the shelves to find the egg noodles. For this batch, I used noodles I bought from the store, but if you are feeling ambitious you can make your own from scratch.
Chicken Stock or Broth – I highly recommend making your own chicken stock for chicken noodle soup. The depth of flavor in a homemade stock is so much better and is awesome for soup. Think about it, the chicken stock is the base for this whole thing. The noodles will cook inside the stock and soak up whatever flavor it has. And you will be sipping it with every spoonful. So make sure it is as good as possible.
Herbs – The fresh parsley and thyme add some bright notes to the soup. The bay leaves lend flavor to the chicken stock as it slowly simmers. You can try experimenting, adding different herbs for a little bit of a new vibe. Rosemary, sage, or dill would be some great additions.
Vegetables – Celery and carrots are classic for chicken noodle soup. So that is all I have tried. For me, it just doesn’t feel right doing anything else. But you can feel free to test out some other vegetables. Let me know how it goes if you try something different.
Simply Chicken Noodle Soup
Course: SoupsDifficulty: Moderate9
servings20
minutes45
minutes1
hour5
minutesHomemade chicken noodle soup for when you’re sick, or it is cold, or whenever you need comfort.
Ingredients
3 large celery stalks
4 large carrots
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
9 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups wide egg noodles
Directions
- Slice the celery and carrots to about 1/8″ thick, chop the onion, and mince the garlic, thyme, and parsley
- Add the olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, and parsley to a large stockpot and sauté on medium-high heat for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently until carrots and celery have softened
- Pour the chicken stock into the pot, place the lid on top, and bring it to a boil
- Once it has begun to boil, turn heat to medium-low, add bay leaves, chicken, lemon juice, and noodles, and cook about 20 mins until noodles are cooked through, stirring occasionally
- Serve immediately, top with fresh parsley if desired
