Description
Craving comfort food? This easy chicken noodle soup recipe is loaded with tender chicken, hearty noodles, and a flavorful broth. It’s perfect for a cold night or anytime you need a nourishing bowl of comfort.
Ingredients
- 1 small whole chicken (see notes below on chicken options)
- 6-8 oz dry egg noodles (or pasta of your choice)
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 large carrots, diced
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 8-10 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1-3 teaspoons Better than Bouillon chicken base or 1-3 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of butter or olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly soft and fragrant. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Stir in minced garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in 8 cups of chicken broth or chicken stock.
- Stir in the dried thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.
- Add your chicken to the pot. Ensure it is fully submerged, adding more liquid if necessary.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and simmer for about 45-60 minutes. Skim any foam, fat, or impurities from the surface as it cooks until the broth is clear. If using chicken pieces, adjust the cooking time: roughly 20-25 minutes for chicken breasts, and 30-35 minutes for chicken thighs or drumsticks. If using shredded rotisserie chicken, add it to the broth and simmer for 15 minutes, then skip ahead to step 8.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- Stir in the black pepper and Better than Bouillon or bouillon cubes. Start with one teaspoon or one cube, taste the broth, and add more as desired. Allow the soup to continue simmering while you prepare the noodles.
- Cook the noodles separately in a pot of salted boiling water until slightly underdone. Drain and set aside. Stir them into the soup just before serving. NOTE: If serving immediately, you can cook the noodles directly in the broth after adding the chicken back to the pot — this will give the noodles even more flavor!
- Remove the bay leaves from the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Stir in freshly chopped parsley.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately.
Notes
- Instead of a whole chicken, you can use individual cuts of chicken if you prefer. I recommend 3-4 breasts, 5-6 thighs, or 8-10 drumsticks in place of a whole chicken. I also like using a combination of breasts and thighs because I enjoy both white and dark meat.
- If you’re looking for a shortcut, a small rotisserie chicken makes a great substitute in this recipe! If you go this route, remove all the skin and shred the meat as you remove it from the bones. I use all the meat from the breasts, thighs, and drumsticks.
- My biggest priority when it comes to any recipe is making sure that the dish is properly seasoned; however, be cautious with the salt in this one! Depending on what kind of broth and bouillon you use, your soup may not need any additional salt, so give it a chance to simmer for a while after you add the bouillon before seasoning it further. Also, the noodles will soak up some salt during the boiling process as well, so I typically taste the soup once all the components have been added before adding any finishing touches of salt.
- Seasoning is always subjective, so start small and build from there. 3 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon gave me the depth of flavor I wanted, but you may need more or less depending on your palate.
- If you don’t have chicken broth or stock on hand, you can use water instead. However, you’ll need to adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- When first creating this recipe, I used an entire 12 oz bag of egg noodles, which made it more of a noodle soup with a hint of chicken and broth. 😆 Personally, I liked it because I LOVE egg noodles, but I had to add a lot more liquid to make it an actual soup. So unless you’re going for a super chunky soup, start with 6 oz of noodles and add more from there.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: Eat
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soups & Stews
