Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is one of the world’s most beloved comfort foods, and I definitely took that to heart when creating this recipe. Chunks of juicy chicken mingle with carrots, celery, and tender egg noodles in a deep, savory broth for a soup that will transport you right back to Grandma’s table after just one spoonful. Read on for everything you need to know to make this classic recipe:

How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken: Skin-on, bone-in chicken parts give you the most flavorful broth. Using a mix of dark meat and white meat is ideal; the dark meat parts take well to long simmering, while the white meat parts can be pulled early and shredded, yielding lots of juicy chicken for the final soup.
• Herbs: No need to reinvent the wheel here. I went with bay leaf and thyme, the signature flavors of a classic chicken noodle soup.
• Noodles: Wide egg noodles are my go-to for chicken noodle soup. Why? Well, there’s the convenience factor—they cook directly in the soup, no separate boiling and draining required—but also because they have flavor in their corner. Richer than standard wheat noodles, they make for a heartier, more satisfying soup.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

We’ll begin by browning the chicken to develop deep flavor that we’ll then capture in our broth.. Heat oil in a large pot, preferably a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces on both sides with 2 tsp. salt, then place in the pot skin side down. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown underneath (the more you move the chicken, the less it will brown—so don’t do it!). Turn the chicken over with tongs and cook until golden brown on the second side. About 5 minutes per side should be sufficient.

Now let’s get our broth going. The idea here is to give individualized attention to the white meat and dark meat parts so as to play to their strengths. Pour in the stock and water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon (we want that flavor in our broth!). Add the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer—bubbles should break the surface only intermittently—and cook, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until the chicken breasts are cooked through; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the flesh should register 165°. Gentle heat is the key to extracting max flavor while ensuring moist, juicy meat. Transfer the breasts to a cutting board and let cool. Continue to simmer the dark meat pieces for another 40 minutes, then transfer to the cutting board and let cool slightly.

Time to shred. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin and bones from both white and dark meat parts. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Set the chicken aside for a moment while we work on our aromatic vegetables and noodles.

Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the broth. Add the onion, celery, and carrot (our aromatics) to the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Now for the noodles: Add them directly to the broth. (This is the beauty of egg noodles—they cook directly in the soup, absorbing its flavors and throwing off enough starch to lend a bit of body.) Simmer the egg noodles, stirring occasionally, until tender, about another 5 minutes.

Now let's bring our shredded chicken back into play. Return the chicken to the pot and add the black pepper; taste and add more salt if needed.

To serve, divide the soup among bowls and top with chopped parsley and more black pepper.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• The best type of noodles for chicken noodle soup: When choosing the best type of noodle, wide egg noodles are the perfect choice. They hold their own against the chicken and the vegetables while simultaneously adding their own rich body to the soup. If you’re in a pinch, you can use whatever thick noodle you have on hand, but I highly recommend egg noodles for this classic recipe.
• The secret to the most flavorful chicken noodle soup: Browning the chicken in the pot before adding the stock, water, and aromatics boosts the deep, rich flavors that we want to create in the broth. And keeping the liquid at a bare simmer (with just a few tiny bubbles breaking the surface every now and then) throughout the entire process ensures the chicken, vegetables, and noodles will cook gently, coaxing out maximum flavor while moderating the broth’s reduction.
• All about the chicken: You can make chicken noodle soup with any combination of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, but if you have the choice, I highly recommend using a breast, a thigh, and a drumstick (basically, half a chicken, broken down). A combination of white and dark meat is ideal because it gives you that gorgeous shredded white meat in the finished soup with the benefit of the added depth of flavor that comes from stewing the dark meat for an additional 40 minutes after the white meat is finished cooking. Don’t be tempted to leave the chicken breast in for the full hour; it will overcook and turn tough and dry.

Storage

If you have leftovers, I strongly suggest (okay, BEG) that you store the noodles separately from the broth. If they’re stored together, the noodles will soak up the liquid and turn to mush—and there won’t be any broth left. If you’d like to cook this soup in advance, the same recommendation applies, though if you’re making it ahead of time, I’d recommend skipping the noodles completely. You can add them into the broth when you reheat the soup, and they should be fully cooked in just 5 minutes.