Chicken Soup with Egg Noodles

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With tons of chicken and vegetables, this healthy, hearty Chicken Noodle Soup with egg noodles is perfect for days when you need to put a little love in your bowl. This large soup recipe is ready in a little over an hour, and is as filling as it is healthful.

Bowl of chicken soup in front of hot sauce bottle and pot of soup

Chicken Noodles Soup is my go-to recipe when a friend or neighbor needs a comforting meal. I like to think I'm delivering a little bit of love with every pot.There aren't any flashy techniques or special secret ingredients, but I give you all the necessary tips to make this chicken soup perfectly.

For more comfort on a plate, try Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and Italian Wedding Soup.

Make this recipe tonight!

This recipe is budget friendly and big enough for lots of leftovers.

This is a very easy recipe that uses common ingredients.

The chicken comes out amazingly tender.

Using prepared broth add tons of flavor without hours cooking.

Ingredients

Chicken Breast- Breast meat cooks up more quickly and has very little fat to break down. The lean meat also keeps your broth from getting too greasy.
Broth- Making broth isn't hard, but making a good one is time consuming. Using store bought is a nice shortcut that doesn't take anything away from how delicious this soup will be.

Instructions

Step 1

Start by preparing the vegetables. Wash the celery stalks and remove tops and bottoms. Wash and peel carrots. Cut the celery and carrots into ½ inch pieces.
Cut the bottom of the onion off and cut in half. Then remove the onion skin and cut into a fine dice. The pieces should be very small so they almost disappear in the broth.

Step 2

Heat a large soup pot on medium heat.
Add olive oil to the pot.
Add the diced vegetables and saute until the onions are translucent.
Season the vegetables with dry spices, salt, and pepper.

sauteed vegetables with seasoning in soup pot

Step 3

Add the broth and water to the pot and bring to a low simmer.
Add the chicken breasts to the pot. Cook on a low simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 4

Remove the chicken from the pot and shred the chicken breasts.
Cut any large shreds into smaller bite sized pieces.
Return the chicken to the soup and let simmer for 15 more minutes.

shredded chicken breast on wood cutting board

Step 5

Boil water in a separate pot and cook ½ pound of egg noodles according to package instructions.
When serving, add noodles to the bottom of each bowl and pour hot soup over the top.
Store extra noodles in a plastic container. Add a ¼ of a cup of broth to the noodles to help keep them separated.

What is the best way to cook chicken for Chicken Noodle Soup?

Gently simmering chicken pieces is the best way to get tender pieces of meat in the soup and to add flavor. You can use Chicken on the bone with the skin removed if you want a richer soup. I use chicken breasts for a healthier soup and lighter broth.

Bring the veggies and broth to a low simmer and then add the chicken. You don't want to bring the broth to a rolling boil because it can actually make the chicken tough.

Which is better for making chicken soup: stock, broth, or bouillon cubes?

Each of these items has a place in a well stocked kitchen. I use stock when I want to add salt and depth, but I want to add more of my own spices. It is great for gravies and sauces.

Broth and bouillon can be used for the same purposes. Broth is very flavorful and fully spiced.

Bouillon cubes are just dehydrated, concentrated broth that can be added to hot water and reconstituted. They are great for making soups in a short amount of time and when you don't have a fully stocked spice cabinet.

What is the best noodle for this recipe?

A broad egg noodle is best for this soup. It is hearty and rich and absorbs the flavor of the broth.

Tips

I recommend boiling noodles separately and keeping them separate. When you add noodles to soup, they absorb all of the liquid. You lose the broth and ruin the noodles because they get thick and gummy.

Adding the noodles to the soup is fine if you are going to finish the pot the same day you make the soup. If you intend to have leftovers, you should keep noodles separate.

The size of the vegetables in soup can make a big difference. You want to be able to get a little bit of everything onto each spoonful. This chicken noodle soup starts with the very basic onion, celery, and carrot base. Chop onion small so that as they cook they nearly disappear into the soup.

Cut carrots and celery a bit larger (around ½ inch) and into somewhat even pieces. Pieces that are a bit larger will stay together and be really pleasant to eat.