Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics & Vegetables
- 15 ml olive oil, room temperature
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 2 celery stalks, sliced thinly
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Soup Base
- 1500 ml chicken broth, liquid
- 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, raw, whole
- 3 fresh thyme, whole sprigs
- 1 bay leaf, dried
Noodles & Seasoning
- 150 g wide dried egg noodles, dry
- g kosher salt
- g black pepper
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 393 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbohydrates
- 38 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 2052 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 157 mg
- Potassium
- 737 mg
- Calcium
- 81 mg
- Iron
- 3.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 68 mg
- Phosphorus
- 375 mg
- Zinc
- 3.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 345 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 10 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 60 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.67 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.70 mg
- Niacin
- 11.5 mg
- Folate
- 119 mcg
- Water
- 560 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Wait until the oil shimmers slightly.
Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onions become translucent and the vegetables soften slightly.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook just until highly fragrant to release the essential oils, being careful not to let the garlic brown.
Pour in the chicken broth. Carefully submerge the raw chicken thighs into the liquid using tongs. Add the whole thyme sprigs, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling the raw poultry.
Bring the liquid to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover partially with a lid and simmer until the chicken is completely cooked through and registers at least 74°C/165°F on a thermometer.
Use clean tongs to carefully transfer the cooked chicken thighs from the pot to a clean cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Return the soup broth to a rolling simmer. Add the dried egg noodles and cook uncovered until they are tender.
Return the shredded chicken to the pot to warm through. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, locate and discard the tough thyme sprig stems and the bay leaf.
Taste the broth and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley if using.
Chef's Notes
- Using chicken thighs instead of breasts guarantees tender meat that won't dry out, even if slightly over-simmered.
- For the clearest broth, skim any grey foam that rises to the surface right as the soup begins to boil in step 5.
- If you anticipate having leftovers, consider boiling the noodles in a separate pot of salted water. Store the noodles and soup separately so the noodles don't soak up all the broth in the refrigerator.
- Sweating the aromatics (onion, carrot, celery) gently at the beginning builds the foundational flavor profile, known as a mirepoix.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Noodles will absorb liquid over time. You may need to add a splash of water or broth when reheating.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze the soup base without the noodles, as frozen cooked noodles turn to mush. Cook fresh noodles when reheating.
Reheating: Warm gently in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering and heated through.
Troubleshooting
Noodles are mushy and falling apart
Cause: The soup was simmered for too long after adding the egg noodles.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. In the future, cook noodles separately and add them directly to individual bowls when serving to prevent them from overcooking in the hot broth.
Prevention: Only add noodles at the very end of cooking, exactly for the duration listed on the noodle package.
Broth lacks flavor and tastes watery
Cause: Insufficient salt, or using a low-quality boxed broth without adjusting seasoning.
Fix: Add salt in small increments. A tiny splash of fresh lemon juice or a pinch of MSG can also brighten and deepen the savory notes.
Prevention: Season in layers and taste the broth before serving.
Cultural Context
Chicken noodle soup is a quintessential American comfort food, evolving from traditional European poultry broths brought by immigrants. Commercially popularized in the early twentieth century by companies like Campbell's, it became inextricably linked with caregiving, cold weather, and illness recovery. Beyond its psychological warmth, the hot liquid and rich amino acids from the chicken do provide gentle hydration and genuine physiological comfort.
