Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

The most January of soups

If you have a case of the winter blahs, I have a recipe for you: Homemade chicken noodle soup.

Just look at all the noodle-y goodness!

It’s soups like this one that make it easier to hunker down, cozy up, and settle in to the long winter months, knowing that there will be delicious food at the very least. And considering the state of the world right now, hunkering down in my warm house with a pot of soup for my family feels like such richness.

And so it is.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes

For Dietary Restrictions

• Gluten free: Use gluten-free noodles

• Dairy free: Use olive oil instead of butter, reducing quantity to 2 Tbsp

Kids Can Help

Peel the carrots, scrub the celery, season the chicken, add noodles and stir

Ingredients

• 2-3 chicken breasts

• ½ stick of unsalted butter

• 3 large carrots

• 4 stalks of celery

• ½ - 1 tsp salt

• 2 bay leaves

• 8 cups of chicken broth (or 8 cups water + 2 Tbsp bouillon paste — I like Better than Bouillon)

• 8 oz egg noodles (half of a standard 16 oz bag), or more if you like it with more noodles/less broth

Tools

• Cutting board

• Chef knife

• Vegetable peeler

• Large soup pot with a lid

• Long wooden spoon or spatula

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Directions

Step 1

Heat the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the bay leaves and the chicken breasts and cook undisturbed until chicken is browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and flip; cover and lower heat. Cook until internal temp reaches 165 degrees (meanwhile, move on to step 2). 

Step 2

Meanwhile, peel and chop your carrots and celery, and add to the pot with the chicken. Allow to cook while the chicken finishes; once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the pan and set on a plate to catch the juices.

Step 3

Make your chicken broth by boiling water and mixing with the bouillon paste. Add to the pot with the carrots & celery. 

Step 4

Bring the soup to a boil and then add the noodles, cooking just until tender.

Step 5

Meanwhile, chop the chicken and return to the pot. Serve immediately. 

Note: If you’re not going to serve immediately, leave out the noodles and cook them right before serving so they don’t get soggy!