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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles (Easy Recipe)

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This homemade chicken noodle soup with egg noodles is the recipe you keep coming back to. It’s not fancy, and it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s the soup you make on a Tuesday when everyone’s tired and the fridge looks sad.

Ingredients

  • Whole chicken (3-4 pounds)
  • Carrots (3 large, peeled and sliced into rounds)
  • Celery stalks (3, sliced)
  • Yellow onion (1 large, diced)
  • Garlic cloves (4, minced)
  • Egg noodles (8 ounces, wide or medium)
  • Chicken broth (8 cups, low-sodium)
  • Fresh thyme (4 sprigs)
  • Bay leaves (2)
  • Fresh parsley (¼ cup, chopped)
  • Salt and black pepper (to taste)
  • Olive oil (2 tablespoons)
  • Water (4 cups)

Instructions

  1. Prep the vegetables. Peel and slice the carrots into rounds about ¼-inch thick. Slice the celery the same way. Dice the onion into small, even pieces. Mince the garlic cloves. Set everything aside in separate bowls or piles on your cutting board.
  2. Season and sear the chicken. Pat the whole chicken dry with paper towels. This helps it brown better. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat the olive oil in your Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the chicken breast-side down and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Flip and cook another 5 minutes. Don’t skip this step—it adds so much flavor to the broth.
  3. Sauté the aromatics. Remove the chicken to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it’s translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Your kitchen should smell incredible right about now.
  4. Build the broth. Pour in the 8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth and 4 cups of water. Use your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot—that’s pure flavor. Add the fresh thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Return the chicken to the pot, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate.
  5. Simmer the chicken. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let it simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The chicken should be cooked through and tender enough to shred easily. If the meat is pulling away from the bone, it’s ready.
  6. Remove and shred the chicken. Carefully lift the chicken out of the pot using tongs. Place it on a cutting board and let it cool for 5-10 minutes. When it’s cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Don’t worry about getting every last bit of meat—just focus on the larger pieces.
  7. Strain the broth (optional). If you want a clearer soup, pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Return the strained broth to the pot. If you’re okay with a rustic texture (I usually am), leave the vegetables in the pot and skip this step.
  8. Cook the egg noodles. Bring the broth back to a gentle boil. Add the 8 ounces of egg noodles and cook according to the package directions, usually 6-8 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. The noodles should be tender but still have a little bite.
  9. Add the chicken back. Once the noodles are cooked, return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remember, the noodles will absorb some salt, so don’t be shy.
  10. Rest before serving. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Let the soup sit for 5 minutes off the heat. This allows the flavors to meld together. Serve hot in deep bowls.

Notes

Don’t overcook the noodles. Cook them separately in the broth at the end, and keep an eye on the clock. Season in layers. Skim the fat if you want a lighter broth. Use a whole chicken for best flavor. Let the soup rest for a few minutes before serving. For meal prep, freeze the broth and chicken separately from the noodles.

Nutrition

Keywords: chicken noodle soup, egg noodles, homemade soup, comfort food, easy recipe, chicken soup, winter soup, meal prep

Find it online: https://oracooks.com/homemade-chicken-noodle-soup-with-egg-noodles-easy-recipe/