Sometimes it feels great to be able to come home from work and be able to pop dinner right in the microwave. It feels even better when that dinner is a classic comfort food like chicken noodle soup. I’ve always preferred the hearty soups with a high ratio of yummy things to broth, so I tweaked a basic chicken noodle soup recipe to get this bowl of deliciousness. Chicken noodle soup can be made and frozen or refrigerated ahead of time, providing plenty of easy and nutritious meals during a busy week. For the uninitiated: never fear–making soup is way easier that you’d expect!
This hearty chicken noodle soup was the first soup I ever made at home. I made things far more time-consuming than necessary by deciding to make my own broth instead of buying some at the store. This is a great way to use your chicken carcass (and chicken stock is a useful ingredient to have on hand) but it takes a few hours to really boil it down to the right flavor and richness. I would suggest buying low- or no-sodium broth at the grocery store and seasoning as you please. If you use premade broth, this recipe will take less than 45 minutes (including all prep work). If you’d like instructions for making chicken stock, let me know in the comments!
Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe — Makes 6-8 servings
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked wide egg noodles
1 tsp. salt (less if your broth already has sodium)
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/4 in. slices
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp water
2-2 1/2 cups cooked, pulled chicken (I bought a $4 rotisserie chicken)
Seasoning: 3 bay leaves and 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Pour the broth into a large pot along with salt and black pepper to taste, and seasonings (if your broth is not pre-seasoned). Bring to a boil, then add the vegetables, cover, and turn heat to low-medium. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the cornstarch-water mixture. Stir in egg noodles and chicken. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Serve and enjoy!
Chicken noodle soup freezes well for at least 3 months. It can be refrigerated for up to a week. If freezing in glass–for example, mason jars– make sure to leave enough room at the top of the jar for the liquid to expand while freezing. To be on the safe side, leave about an inch of headspace.
Humble Foodie 