Everyone needs chicken noodle soup in their recipe collection. No soup season is complete without this cozy classic!
At Canuck Kitchen, We Like to Bend the Rules
All recipes will be displayed first. Any tips, tricks, variations, and other nonsense will follow the recipe for you to scroll at your heart’s content. View our other recipes here.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 3 shallots, diced (OR 1 medium onion, diced)
- 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced (Optional: cut them in half)
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 cartons of chicken broth (1 carton is 900ml. I used the low sodium variety.)
- 2 chicken breasts, shredded (See notes)
- 4 cups egg noodles
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- ¼-½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium heat, warm up the oil. Add in the shallots or onions and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute for around 1 minute.
- Add the carrots and celery and saute those for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour in all three cartons of the chicken broth and turn up the heat to high. Give it a good stir so all the ingredients are flowing freely.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then turn it down to low heat. Add in the egg noodles, parsley, and thyme, and stir.
- 6. While the soup is simmering, bake the chicken breasts at 400°F for 30 minutes.
- 7. Once the chicken breasts have finished cooking, let them cool for about 5 minutes and then shred them with a fork or a hand mixer. Add the chicken to the soup and stir until everything is well mixed. Serve immediately or you can let the flavours simmer for as long as you'd like.
Notes
- Bake the chicken at 400°F for 30 minutes. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, or until it’s not insanely hot. Shred with a fork, or you can use a hand mixer.
- Slice and dice the chicken. Cook it in a frying pan on the stove top for around 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Add the cooked chicken to the soup for the last few minutes.
- You can either cook them separately until they’re al dente. Throw them in the soup within the last 5 minutes of cook time.
- Once the broth has started to boil, add the noodles to the soup, and then turn the heat down to low.
- Swap out the chicken broth for veggie broth
- Replace the chicken breast with chickpeas or any other non-meat protein source (Add beans/legumes near the end of the cooking process.)
A Few Tips Before We Get Into It
Invest in Some Tools
The number one thing I learned while making this is that it’s always a good idea to invest in good chopping tools and other kitchen gadgets. This will help cut down on prep time.
Unfortunately, I only have a chef’s knife, so my prep time was a whopping 1.5 hours. Absolute insanity. It was worth it, though.
If you’re in the mood to add some pizazz to your kitchen appliances, check out some of these gadgets.
Sharpen your Knives
If you do decide to go the “knife only” route, make sure you’re using sharp ones. A dull knife will cause you more stress, and it will take much longer to prep your items. Cutting with a dull knife is also much more dangerous than using a sharp one.
If you need a guide on how to sharpen your knives, check out this guide here.
Prep All Your Ingredients Before You Start
This is the golden rule for cooking and baking. It’s much easier to just throw and go than it is to run around your kitchen looking for ingredients while your food burns.
Use Fresh Herbs
I’ve tried this recipe using dried herbs and fresh ones. I can truly say that fresh herbs and spices make a world of difference.
I understand that budget can be an issue. That being said, if you can only use dried spices, that’s fine, too. Just add them near the end of the cooking time.
Make Use of Your Freezer
Soups are great for this because they almost always make a giant batch. So unless you’re planning to feed the neighbourhood, set aside portions in reusable containers and pop them in the freezer. Say hello to quick and easy meals for the future!
For more info on freezing, you can check out my guide here.
The Side Pieces for Chicken Noodle Soup
Unless it’s an appetizer, soups aren’t really that filling for me. When I make soup, I make sure it’s crammed with hearty ingredients. If you’d like to spruce up your chicken soup, I’ve come up with a list of side dishes that are a match made in heaven.
- Bruschetta
- Crackers
- Garlic bread
- Grilled cheese
- Herbed breadsticks
- Roasted vegetables
- Salad (garden, Cesar, etc.)
- Sandwiches (any is fine!)
Vegan Corner
To make this recipe vegan, you can swap out the chicken broth for veggie broth. You can also swap out the chicken breast for chickpeas, lentils, or any other bean or legume. I would recommend adding these near the end of the cooking process.
Variations on Chicken Noodle Soup
This soup can also be used as a great base recipe. You can add or remove ingredients. Mix and match to create some beautiful and tasty combinations.
- Use a different variety of noodle, such as penne, macaroni, or fusilli. You can also experiment and try a longer noodle like linguine, fettuccine, or spaghettini.
- Replace the egg noodles with rice, quinoa, or millet
- Add in different veggies like Brussels sprouts, parsnips, green peas, or spinach
- As mentioned under the vegan corner, you can also use chickpeas, lentils, or other legumes.
- I’ve seen a recipe before where a half cup of butter was added at the beginning and cooked into the soup.
It’s a nice hearty soup! Great for those cold days and when you’re not feeling well. The flavour was so delicious.
Great loos really good
An excellent recipe, especially if you need to watch your sodium intake. It’s a bonus when it’s also yummy and filling. The perfect comfort food.
Another amazingly tasty meal. So good and filling. Especially for a soup. A must try.
I really appreciate the kind words. 🙂