Classic Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch
In short: Golden homemade broth, shredded chicken, carrots, celery and egg noodles in a simple, soothing soup. Make a pot and freeze the rest. It takes about 1 h 55 min in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 55 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 200 kcal
Chicken noodle soup is the bowl people reach for when they are tired, cold or unwell, and it is worth making the broth from a whole chicken at least once. The bird simmers gently with onion, celery and carrot, then comes out to be shredded while the broth is strained and used as the base of the soup. Everything else is quick: fresh vegetables, wide egg noodles and a little lemon at the end. One pot feeds a family for two meals.
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a large pot with the water, quartered onion, celery chunks, carrot chunk, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stems and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer, skimming off the foam that rises.
- Simmer partly covered, without letting the pot boil hard, for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through (74°C / 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh) and the meat is close to falling off the bones.
- Lift the chicken onto a board. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a bowl, discard the vegetables, and skim most of the fat from the surface.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. You should have about 450 g (1 lb).
- Heat the olive oil in the clean pot over medium heat. Cook the diced onion, sliced carrots and celery for 8 minutes, then add the garlic for 1 minute. Pour in the strained broth, add the thyme, and simmer for 10 minutes, until the carrots are nearly tender.
- Add the noodles and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or according to the package, until tender. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat for 2 minutes.
- Remove the thyme stems. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper until the broth tastes lively. Serve hot.
Tips
- Cook only as many noodles in the pot as you will eat today. For leftovers, store the noodles apart from the broth, or they will soak it up and go soft.
- For a shortcut, simmer 1 kg (2.2 lb) of bone-in chicken thighs for 40 minutes instead of a whole bird. The broth is nearly as good.
Questions and answers
Can I use leftover or rotisserie chicken for chicken noodle soup?
Yes. Simmer the carcass with the broth vegetables for 45 minutes to make the broth, then add the shredded meat at the end. For a 30-minute version, use good stock and cooked chicken.
How do I stop the noodles from getting mushy?
Cook them only until just tender, and add them once the broth and vegetables are ready. Keep leftover noodles separate from the broth so they do not keep swelling.
Can I freeze chicken noodle soup?
Freeze the broth, vegetables and chicken without the noodles for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight, bring it to a simmer and cook fresh noodles in it.
How long does it take to make Classic Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch?
About 1 h 55 min in total: 25 min of preparation and 1 h 30 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Classic Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch?
About 200 kcal per serving, with 16 g of protein, 18 g of carbohydrates and 7 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 200 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Sodium | 900 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
