The chicken noodle soup recipe is a type of chicken soup made with chicken and noodles cooked in chicken broth together with some vegetables such as carrots. Similar chicken soup recipes can be made with pasta, rice, barley, or dumplings. This classic chicken noodle soup is so easy to make at home.
Chicken soups are often used as home remedies for colds and influenza (in fact, they are known as Jewish Penicillins) and are often regarded as comfort food in many countries. It has been shown that chicken noodle soup and other chicken soups contain “cysteine“, an amino acid that is similar to acetylcysteine which is used for the treatment of bronchitis.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 150 grams of Noodles. German egg noodles are best for this recipe but any type you have can be used as well.
- 2 pieces of boneless chicken breasts
- 800 ml of Chicken broth
- 4 small Carrots
- 3 sticks of Celery (chopped)
- 1 tbsp of Cooking oil
- Half of an Onion
- 1/4 tsp of dried thyme
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3 minced Garlic cloves
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 tbsp of chopped fresh Parsley
- 1/4 tsp of Black pepper powder.
- 1 chicken seasoning cube
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chop the carrots, celery, and onions into small bite sizes.
- Place a soup pot on the stovetop and add 1 tbsp of cooking oil to it.
- When the oil is heated, bring in the chopped vegetables and onions. Saute the vegetables on medium heat until they are soft and fragrant.
- Season with 1/4 tsp of dried thyme. Also, add the minced garlic cloves and the bay leaf.
- Stir for a minute and then add 800 ml of chicken broth, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, a pinch of salt, 1 chicken stock cube, and the two chicken breasts.
- Stir everything together and cover; cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is well cooked.
- After 20 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot and allow the chicken to rest a bit.
- To the pot, go in with the noodles and cover, and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
- While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken into smaller pieces and add to the pot.
- Garnish the chicken noodle soup with some chopped parsley and stir to combine. Let it simmer for a minute and turn of the heat. Your easy homemade chicken noodle soup is ready.
Chicken Soup Variations
In Canada and the United States
There are so many variations of chicken soup. In many countries, the ingredients added to the soup determines the name; in America, it is often cooked with noodles, hence the name chicken noodles soup, or when rice is added instead of noodles, it is called Chicken and rice soup. The term “chicken noodle soup” was first used in the 1930s when the Campbell Soup Company mistakenly called their “Chicken soup with noodles” in a radio commercial as “chicken noodle soup“. Some people add saffron or turmeric powder to their chicken noodle soup to add a yellow color to the soup.
In the United States, chicken noodle soup is often made with root vegetables such as carrots, celery, leeks, and/or onions. In America, chicken soup was traditionally prepared with tough hen but these chickens are now scarce, hence broiler chickens are used instead.
The Campbell Soup Company also produces canned chicken noodles soup and similar soups such as chicken with rice soup and chicken & stars soup, all of which have a high amount of sodium.
The main ingredients of these canned chicken soups include:
- Chicken pieces
- Chicken broth
- Noodles
- Salt
- Carrots
Depending on the soup company’s brands, some could vary the vegetables such as lettuce, mushrooms, or celery.
In the United Kingdom
The traditional chicken soup in Britain is similar to that of America and consists of a clear and watery soup cooked with chicken and vegetables such as onions, celery, and/or carrots cut into chunks. Additional ingredients may include salt and pepper. However, there is a thick and creamy variety that is popularly known as “cream of chicken soup”. The cream of chicken soup in most recipes often does not contain vegetables.