You’ve got the sniffles. It’s chilly outside. You want nothing more than to wrap yourself in a big ol’ blanket and settle down with a mug of chicken noodle soup. Am I right? Then this is the recipe for you. It’s miles better than anything from a box or a can, but isn’t quite so laborious as starting with a whole chicken and making stock from scratch. It’s the Goldilocks of chicken soups, and it’s just right.
This shortcut chicken soup gives you real shreds of meaty chicken and a broth with delicious extra richness. But it doesn’t take the hours of a full old-fashioned chicken soup, where you use a whole chicken to make stock, then take the chicken apart piece by piece for the soup. It’s a quicker version, yes, but one that stays true in spirit and taste to the most old-fashioned sort of homemade chicken soup. Brothy, golden, nourishing – this is real chicken soup – just a little bit faster.
Even if you’re not feeling under the weather, this is a very satisfying soup to make if you just want something cozy. It comes together in under an hour and makes the house smell fantastic.
Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced 1-3 garlic cloves, to taste 1 1/2 pounds (about 6) chicken thighs, preferably bone-in 1 bay leaf
1-2 quarts chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
1/2 pound noodles 1-3 teaspoons salt
Equipment:
6-quart dutch oven or soup pot Long-handled spoon
pasta pot
Directions:
1. Cook the vegetables: Warm a teaspoon of oil over medium heat in the Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the diced onions, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt. cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to soften, 3-5 minutes. Clear a space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic. Cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds, and then stir the garlic into the vegetables.
2. Sear the chicken: remove the skin from the chicken thighs, but leave the bone in. (Boneless chicken thighs are also fine in this recipe, but the bones add richness to the broth.) Move the vegetables to the edges of the pan and warm the remaining teaspoon of oil in the middle of the pan. When oil is hot, add the chicken thighs, fitting them into a single layer. It’s OK if they are snug. Cook without moving for about 3 minutes, until the underside is seared golden. Flip the thighs and sear the other side until golden.
3. Add the broth and simmer: Add the bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Pour in one quart of the broth, reserving the remaining quart for later. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Shred the chicken: Move the pot off the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon. Use two forks to pull the meat apart into shreds (or chop into cubes). Remove and discard any bones. It’s OK if the meat is still a little pink in the middle at this point.
5. Cook the pasta: Bring a separate pot of water to a boil for the pasta. When boiling, salt the water generously and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is barely al dente and then drain. Alternatively: add the second quart of broth to the soup, bring to a simmer, and cook the pasta in the soup itself.
6. Finish the soup: return the shredded chicken to the soup and bring to a simmer. If the chicken wasn’t quite finished cooking, continue simmering until it has cooked through. Add the noodles to the soup. If a thinner broth is desired, add additional chicken broth. Remove the bay leaf, and taste the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve.
You’ve got the sniffles. It’s chilly outside. You want nothing more than to wrap yourself in a big ol’ blanket and settle down with a mug of chicken noodle soup. Am I right? Then this is the recipe for you. It’s miles better than anything from a box or a can, but isn’t quite so laborious as starting with a whole chicken and making stock from scratch. It’s the Goldilocks of chicken soups, and it’s just right.
This shortcut chicken soup gives you real shreds of meaty chicken and a broth with delicious extra richness. But it doesn’t take the hours of a full old-fashioned chicken soup, where you use a whole chicken to make stock, then take the chicken apart piece by piece for the soup. It’s a quicker version, yes, but one that stays true in spirit and taste to the most old-fashioned sort of homemade chicken soup. Brothy, golden, nourishing – this is real chicken soup – just a little bit faster.
Even if you’re not feeling under the weather, this is a very satisfying soup to make if you just want something cozy. It comes together in under an hour and makes the house smell fantastic.
Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced 1-3 garlic cloves, to taste 1 1/2 pounds (about 6) chicken thighs, preferably bone-in 1 bay leaf
1-2 quarts chicken stock, store-bought or homemade
1/2 pound noodles 1-3 teaspoons salt
Equipment:
6-quart dutch oven or soup pot Long-handled spoon
pasta pot
Directions:
1. Cook the vegetables: Warm a teaspoon of oil over medium heat in the Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the diced onions, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt. cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to soften, 3-5 minutes. Clear a space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic. Cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds, and then stir the garlic into the vegetables.
2. Sear the chicken: remove the skin from the chicken thighs, but leave the bone in. (Boneless chicken thighs are also fine in this recipe, but the bones add richness to the broth.) Move the vegetables to the edges of the pan and warm the remaining teaspoon of oil in the middle of the pan. When oil is hot, add the chicken thighs, fitting them into a single layer. It’s OK if they are snug. Cook without moving for about 3 minutes, until the underside is seared golden. Flip the thighs and sear the other side until golden.
3. Add the broth and simmer: Add the bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pot. Pour in one quart of the broth, reserving the remaining quart for later. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Shred the chicken: Move the pot off the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon. Use two forks to pull the meat apart into shreds (or chop into cubes). Remove and discard any bones. It’s OK if the meat is still a little pink in the middle at this point.
5. Cook the pasta: Bring a separate pot of water to a boil for the pasta. When boiling, salt the water generously and add the pasta. Cook until the pasta is barely al dente and then drain. Alternatively: add the second quart of broth to the soup, bring to a simmer, and cook the pasta in the soup itself.
6. Finish the soup: return the shredded chicken to the soup and bring to a simmer. If the chicken wasn’t quite finished cooking, continue simmering until it has cooked through. Add the noodles to the soup. If a thinner broth is desired, add additional chicken broth. Remove the bay leaf, and taste the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve.