Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

4.94 from 15 votes

This is how I make chicken noodle soup when I don't have the time to make a complete homemade stock from scratch. It's in between a super quickie version made using pre-cooked shredded chicken with chicken broth/stock, and the ultimate homemade version by poaching a whole chicken.

It's remarkable what a difference browning the chicken and cooking it in broth + water makes to the flavour base. Plus my tip for extra flavour is sautéing dried herbs with the onion!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Western

Servings: -5

Calories: 437cal

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

1.4 lb / 700g bone in , skin on chicken thigh fillets (Note 1)
Salt and pepper
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil , separated
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp oregano
1 small onion , diced (brown, white or yellow)
2 garlic cloves , crushed
2 cups celery , chopped (Note 2)
2 cups carrots , chopped (Note 2)
3 cups chicken broth/stock
3 cups water
6 oz / 200g thick egg pasta (or other pasta of choice) (Note 3)
Finely chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat.
Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until brown - 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium low. Discard all but about 1 tbsp fat from the pot. If you don't have any fat, add 1 tbsp olive oil (or 2 tbsp if there is not much chicken fat), then add the onion, garlic, thyme and oregano.
Cook for 2 minutes, then add the celery and carrots. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add a splash of the chicken broth and mix in, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Return the chicken and juices into the pot, add the chicken broth and water.
Turn the heat up to medium to bring to a simmer. Place the lid on and cook for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked enough to shred.
Remove the chicken into a large bowl or plate.
Add the pasta into the pot. (Note 3)
While the pasta is cooking, remove the skin from the chicken and scared it. Then shred the flesh into chunks using 2 forks.
Return the chicken to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve, garnished with parsley if desired.

Notes

1. I use bone in, skin on thigh fillets for maximum flavour infusion into the broth. However, you can make this with 1lb/500g skinless thigh fillets (or breast fillets, but that's my 3 choice).

2. I roughly chop the celery and carrots. You can cut them to the size you wish, but do not finely dice them (i.e. mince them) otherwise they will overcook.

3. Egg pasta in Australia is found in the dried pasta aisle and it is about the thickness of fettuccine. You can use any pasta you want, but you will need to adjust the cook time so they don't overcook and become too bloated.

4. Feel free to add other vegetables!

5. If you have leftovers, separate the noodles from the soup otherwise they will become really bloated and mushy overnight.

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. This takes into account the chicken fat that is drained and also the skin that is discarded.

Nutrition