Who doesn’t love Chicken Noodle Soup? Actually, Husband detested it! But I am proud to say that I successfully converted him into a chicken soup fan with this recipe. There is something utterly satisfying about a warm bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. This recipe makes a regular appearance in our meal plan, as it is a favorite of both Big and Little. And it’s an easy go-to recipe when I don’t have dinner planned, because I normally stock my kitchen with these ingredients. But the best part about this recipe? It’s modular, so you can easily adjust the preparation requirements to fit your schedule.
TIP – This chicken noodle soup recipe freezes beautifully. For the ultimate flavor, do not add noodles or peas to the portion you intend to freeze. Prepare these two ingredients fresh when you reheat the soup and it will taste freshly made.
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TIP – A high-quality dutch oven is a culinary mainstay. We use our enameled cast iron dutch oven by Le Creuset nearly every day. It is both beautiful and functional … this is design at its finest.
The Secret Ingredient
Serve this soup with a lemon wedge. Before eating, squeeze the juice from the lemon wedge into the soup. (Or, if you’d rather keep this secret ingredient a secret, squeeze the juice from a lemon wedge into the soup immediately before serving.) Lemon adds a lovely brightness to the flavor profile, and once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back.
The Stock
This step adds additional oomph to store-bought stock, so you can skip this step if you’re short on time (or if you’re that extra amazing person who has homemade stock already on-hand).
- 3 32-oz boxes of chicken stock (I recommend unsalted or low sodium)
- 2-3 carrots
- 2-3 celery stalks
- 1 onion
- 3-5 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 5-7 sprigs of thyme
- Chicken carcass or bone-in legs or thighs from previous recipe (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Cut carrots in half, then cut each half again along the long side. Repeat with celery.
Smash garlic cloves. Do not remove the papery skin, as this provides additional flavor.
Cut onion in half along the prime meridian (i.e., through the root and stem).
Combine all ingredients in a dutch oven and simmer for 30 minutes. [Modification – If you have a small rosemary sprig on hand, this also adds a nice flavor dimension in combination with the thyme and bay leaf.]
Now you have a decision to make. Do you want a richer, denser stock, or a brighter, lighter stock? (I usually go for rich and dense in the winter and opt for brighter and lighter when the weather is warmer.) For richer, denser stock … strain solids from stock. Retain onion and garlic. Cut root away from onion and discard papery garlic skins. Add garlic and onion to the stock and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. For brighter, lighter stock … strain solids from stock. Skim extra fat.
The Soup (Chicken Noodle Soup)
Unless you plan to have no leftovers, I recommend you do not add noodles directly to your soup. Instead, combine the noodles and soup in the bowl immediately before serving. I also add the peas directly in the serving bowl, rather than the soup, as I find the peas either (1) dry out or (2) turn to mush when reheated. Yuck.
- 5-6 carrots
- 4-5 celery stalks (retain celery leaves as topping, optional)
- 1 large onion
- 3-4 chicken breasts (thighs are also an excellent alternative)
- Chicken stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Frozen peas
- Lemon wedges
- Wide egg noodles
Thaw the frozen peas.
Cook the egg noodles per the package instructions. Strain and lightly coat with olive oil. Set aside.
Bring chicken stock to simmer and cook chicken breast about 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
Prepare the vegetables. Cut carrots in half along the long side. Cut into 1″ pieces. Repeat with celery. Chop onion.
Once the chicken breast has fully cooked, remove from stock. Allow to cool until it can be safely handled. Shred or chop into bite-size pieces.
Add carrot, celery, and onion to the stock and simmer until desired texture is achieved. We prefer al dente, which usually requires 5-7 minutes. Begin checking the vegetable doneness at the 5-minute mark. Return the chicken breast to the dutch oven.
Add noodles to serving bowl. Add soup. Add peas (the temperature of the soup will heat the peas). Garnish with celery leaves and the juice from one lemon wedge.
