Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

Name: Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter; 1 large (about 10 oz) (280 g) yellow onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch (12 mm) dice (about 1½ cups); 3 medium (about 9 oz) (250 g) medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise if thick, and sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick; 3 ribs (about 5 oz) (150 g) celery ribs, sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick; 4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced; 2 lb (about 6 thighs) (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, skin pulled off and discarded, patted dry; 8 cups (1900 ml) low-sodium chicken broth; 2 cups (480 ml) water; 2 leaves (1 g) dried bay leaves; 6 sprigs (6 g) fresh thyme sprigs; 6 oz (170 g) dried wide egg noodles; 1½ tsp (9 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A cozy, old-fashioned chicken noodle soup built on bone-in chicken thighs, which give the broth deep flavor and stay juicy. Sweet carrots, celery and onion, tender egg noodles and a squeeze of lemon make it a bowl worth repeating.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 25 min
Makes: About 3 quarts (2.8 L), 6 generous bowls

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Ingredients

6 servings

2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
1 large (about 10 oz) (280 g) yellow onion, peeled and cut into ½-inch (12 mm) dice (about 1½ cups)
3 medium (about 9 oz) (250 g) medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise if thick, and sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
3 ribs (about 5 oz) (150 g) celery ribs, sliced ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
4 cloves (12 g) garlic cloves, minced
2 lb (about 6 thighs) (900 g) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, skin pulled off and discarded, patted dry
8 cups (1900 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups (480 ml) water
2 leaves (1 g) dried bay leaves
6 sprigs (6 g) fresh thyme sprigs
6 oz (170 g) dried wide egg noodles
1½ tsp (9 g) kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
2 tbsp (8 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice (optional)

Equipment (7)

6-quart (5.5 L) heavy-bottomed soup pot with lid
Chef's knife and cutting board
Wooden spoon
Ladle or large spoon for skimming fat
Tongs
Two forks and a rimmed plate for shredding chicken
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Use bone-in thighs. The bones flavor the broth, and you remove the skin before simmering so the soup isn't greasy.
Check the noodle package for cooking time. This recipe assumes about 7 minutes for wide egg noodles. Adjust if yours differ.
Use low-sodium broth so you control the salt. Season at the end, after the noodles have cooked.
Cut all the vegetables to a similar size (about ¼ inch / 6 mm thick) so they cook evenly.
This is a stovetop recipe. No oven is needed.

1
Prep the vegetables
- Dice the onion into ½-inch (12 mm) pieces.
- Peel the carrots and slice them ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, halving any thick ones lengthwise first.
- Slice the celery ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and mince the garlic.
- Pull the skin off the chicken thighs, discard it, and pat the thighs dry with paper towels.
- Leave the thyme sprigs whole.
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Ready when: Vegetables are in uniform pieces and the chicken is skinless and dry.
Tip: Skin slips off more easily if you grip it with a paper towel.
2
Soften the vegetables
- Melt the butter in a 6-quart (5.5 L) soup pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery and ½ tsp of the salt.
- Cook, stirring every minute or so, for about 9 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is translucent and soft, and the carrots look slightly glossy and have begun to soften. Nothing should be browned.
Tip: If the vegetables start to brown, lower the heat. Browned bits make the broth darker and less clean-tasting.
3
Add the garlic
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
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Ready when: The garlic smells fragrant but has not taken on any color.
Tip: Burnt garlic is bitter, so move on as soon as it smells fragrant.
4
Add chicken and liquid
- Pour in the chicken broth and water.
- Nestle the chicken thighs into the pot in a single layer as best you can, and add the bay leaves, thyme and pepper.
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, about 8 minutes.
- As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low.
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Ready when: Large bubbles break across the surface; after reducing the heat, only small bubbles break occasionally.
Tip: Skim off any gray foam that rises to the surface with a spoon for clearer broth.
5
Gently simmer
- Partially cover the pot, leaving a 1-inch gap for steam to escape.
- Simmer gently for 25 minutes, with just a few lazy bubbles breaking the surface.
- A hard boil would make the chicken stringy and the broth cloudy.
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Ready when: An instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads at least 175°F (80°C), and the meat pulls easily from the bone.
Tip: Thighs are best at 175°F (80°C) rather than the minimum 165°F (74°C), since the extra heat breaks down connective tissue.
6
Shred the chicken
- Turn off the heat.
- Use tongs to move the thighs to a rimmed plate and let them cool for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fish out and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems, and skim any visible fat from the surface of the soup with a ladle.
- Pull the meat from the bones, discard the bones and any gristle, and shred the meat into bite-size pieces with two forks (about 3 cups).
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Ready when: The meat is cool enough to handle and is in bite-size shreds, with no bones left.
Tip: Don't skim every last bit of fat, since a little adds flavor.
7
Cook the noodles
- Return the soup to medium heat and bring it back to a steady simmer.
- Stir in the egg noodles and cook, stirring once or twice, for about 7 minutes, or according to the package directions.
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Ready when: Noodles are tender but still slightly chewy when bitten, and the carrots are soft when pierced with a fork.
Tip: Noodles keep softening in hot broth, so pull the pot off the heat when they're just shy of done.
8
Finish and season
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot and heat through for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the parsley and the lemon juice, if using.
- Taste and add up to 1 tsp more salt, a little at a time, until the broth tastes savory and bright.
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Ready when: Soup is steaming hot and the broth tastes well seasoned, not flat.
Tip: Salt makes the biggest difference at this point, so taste after each addition.
9
Serve
- Ladle the soup into warm bowls, making sure each gets plenty of chicken, vegetables and noodles.
- Serve right away with crackers or crusty bread.
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Tip: Noodles continue to absorb broth as they sit, so serve promptly.

Good to know

Tips

Keep the soup at a gentle simmer. A rolling boil makes the broth cloudy and the chicken tough.
Browning nothing in the first steps keeps the broth light in color and flavor, which is the hallmark of classic chicken noodle soup.
Salt at the end. Low-sodium broth varies a lot by brand, and the noodles and chicken will absorb some seasoning.
A small squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the flavor without making the soup taste lemony.

Make ahead

For the best leftovers, make the soup through step 6 (chicken shredded and returned to the broth, no noodles) up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat to a simmer, then cook the noodles in the soup (step 7) just before serving. Alternatively, cook the noodles separately and add them to each bowl.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: up to 4 days in an airtight container (noodles will soften and absorb broth; add a splash of water or broth when reheating). Freezer: freeze the soup without the noodles for up to 3 months, and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming hot throughout (165°F / 74°C), and cook fresh noodles to add.

Substitutions

bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs → bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until the breasts reach 165°F (74°C). The soup will be a little leaner and the meat less rich.
dried wide egg noodles → small pasta such as ditalini, or rice. Cook according to the package time and check the soup for doneness. Use 6 oz (170 g) pasta.
fresh thyme sprigs → dried thyme. Use ½ tsp dried thyme in place of the 6 fresh sprigs.
unsalted butter → olive oil. Use 2 tbsp (30 ml) for a dairy-free soup.