Description

A comforting, budget-friendly chicken noodle soup with tender carrots and celery. This forgiving recipe uses simple ingredients to create a deep, golden broth that tastes like it simmered for hours, perfect for feeding a family or healing the sick.

Ingredients

Scale

2 tablespoons chicken fat or olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
3 stalks celery, chopped into half-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups shredded chicken (rotisserie or boiled)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
8 ounces wide egg noodles
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Instructions

Prep vegetables: Peel and slice carrots, chop celery and onion, and mince garlic.
Sauté aromatics: Heat oil or chicken fat in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Add garlic and herbs: Stir in minced garlic and dried thyme. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
Build the broth: Pour in chicken broth, scraping up browned bits from the bottom. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer and add chicken: Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender. If using raw chicken, add breasts now and simmer 15 minutes before shredding. If using rotisserie chicken, add it now to heat through.
Cook noodles separately: Boil egg noodles in salted water until al dente. Drain. (Alternatively, cook directly in soup for one-pot simplicity, but note leftovers will be thicker).
Combine and season: Add cooked noodles and shredded chicken to the soup. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice and fresh parsley.
Serve: Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

Notes

For best texture, cook noodles separately and add to bowls when serving. This prevents noodles from absorbing all the broth and becoming mushy in leftovers. You can freeze the broth and chicken for up to 3 months, but cook fresh noodles when ready to eat. If using raw chicken, bone-in, skin-on thighs are more flavorful than breasts. To thicken soup, mash some carrots or use a cornstarch slurry.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Category: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bowl with crusty b
Calories: 320
Sugar: 4
Sodium: 600
Fat: 8
Saturated Fat: 2
Carbohydrates: 35
Fiber: 3
Protein: 22

Keywords: chicken noodle soup, budget meal, family dinner, comfort food, easy soup, rotisserie chicken, winter soup, healthy soup