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Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe – How to Make it in 15 Simple Steps

A bowl of freshly-cooked chicken noodle soup.

When you’re not feeling great or if the weather outside is a little wet, raw, and unpleasant, there’s not much that sounds better than a delicious bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup. Long recommended as a treatment for colds and flu, Chicken Noodle Soup is one recipe that everyone should know how to cook.

There are some things that make coming home a wonderful experience. Whether it’s the greeting of the family pet or the warmth of a cozy apartment, coming home after a long day can bring peace to your soul. Adding the fragrance of something tasty to your homecoming gives you the promise of a scrumptious meal in just a few minutes. Here’s our version of this very basic soup recipe.

A bowl of freshly-cooked chicken noodle soup.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

April Freeman
Our recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup will fill your home with the mouthwatering fragrances of herbs, chicken, and cooking vegetables. While the traditional recipe takes quite a bit of time, we have included instructions to adapt it for a slow cooker so that it can cook all day while you are at work.

Video Version

Prep Time 1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven
  • Large Pot
  • Sharp knife

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Chicken Leg Quarters or 6 to 8 chicken legs or thighs
  • 4 Whole Carrots
  • 1 stalk Celery
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Chives
  • 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 2 teaspoon Parsley
  • 2 cups Uncooked Egg Noodles

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken pieces in a large Dutch oven, and add water to cover them completely.
  • Bring the pot to a boil over medium heat.
  • Reduce the heat to simmer and put the lid on the pot. Keep the pot simmering for about an hour.
  • While the chicken is cooking, you can go ahead and prepare the celery and carrots. Wash the celery and carrots thoroughly under cool water.
  • Using a sharp knife and a cutting board, chop the celery stalk, including the leaves, into one-inch chunks.
  • Peel the carrots and cut them into one-inch rounds. Set the veggies aside until you need them.
  • When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot using tongs and set it on a plate to cool.
  • After fifteen or twenty minutes, it should be cool enough to handle. Using your hands, remove and discard the bones, skin, and gristle from the chicken parts.
  • Shred the chicken meat and return it to the pot.
  • Add the veggies, chives, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and parsley to the broth.
  • Turn the heat back on under the pot, keeping it low so the broth will continue to simmer.
  • Place the lid onto the Dutch oven. Cook the chicken and vegetables for about an hour until the veggies are soft.
  • Turn the heat up to medium heat and remove the lid from the pot.
  • When the broth boils, add the noodles and let the soup boil for eight or nine minutes.
  • Remove the pot from the heat, ladle the soup into bowls, and serve.
    A bowl of freshly-cooked chicken noodle soup.

Slow Cooker Instructions

  • Place the chopped vegetables in the bottom of your slow cooker and top them with the raw chicken.
  • Fill the slow cooker with water until the chicken parts are just barely covered.
  • Add the herbs and seasonings.
  • Put the lid on the pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 2 to 4 hours.
  • When the time is up, use tongs to remove the chicken from the slow cooker.
  • Shred, debone, and skin the chicken, returning the meat to the pot.
  • Cook the noodles on the stovetop according to package instructions in a separate pot before stirring them into the slow cooker.

Notes

For the slow cooker adaptation, the only preparation you will need to do when you get home is to debone and shred the chicken and cook the egg noodles, stirring them into the pot. In less than 20 minutes from walking in the door, you can have the soup on the table, ready to serve to your family.
Otherwise, you can make this recipe in the traditional way. Creating a meal like Chicken Noodle Soup over the course of several hours feels like good, old fashioned cooking that your Grandmother would have done. While the recipe takes several hours, the results are definitely worth it. If you have a Saturday or Sunday when you’ll be home for most of the day, why not start a pot of this delicious, nutritious soup?
If you or a loved one is feeling a bit under the weather, Chicken Noodle Soup can soothe a sore throat and appeal to someone with no appetite. The chicken provides protein, the broth is hydrating, the veggies provide anti-oxidants, vitamins, and minerals, and the steam is soothing to irritated nasal passages.
Chicken Noodle Soup also provides tryptophan, a chemical that the body converts to serotonin which can increase feelings of happiness and satisfaction, making Chicken Noodle Soup a great “comfort food” for those who are feeling ill.
While you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, the use of dark meat with bones and skin provides additional flavor and fat to the recipe. If you do use boneless chicken breasts, you should either use chicken broth for liquid or add several chicken bullion cubes to the broth. This will increase the flavor of the broth.  Additionally, if you prefer a creamier broth, you can add a cup of heavy cream to the broth before serving.
Keyword Chicken Noodle Soup, Recipe, Soup

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