Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (2024)

FAQs

Can I put uncooked noodles in my chicken soup? ›

Bring broth to a boil. Add noodles (either uncooked homemade egg noodles, or dry store-bought pasta) and cook just until noodles are al dente. If using store-bought noodles, be cautious not to overcook them! Remove pot from heat as soon as they are just barely tender.

If you're going for a classic chicken noodle vibe, an onion or two (skin-on for extra rich color), a few coarsely chopped carrots, a couple celery stalks (also coarsely chopped), and a bisected head of garlic will do the trick, especially if you include a tablespoon of peppercorns and few sprigs of dill.

But to put some pep back in your soup's step, you're going to want to add more. Start by sautéing any combination of finely chopped vegetables and alliums—like onion, garlic, carrots, celery, bell peppers, and ginger. Whatever you choose is going to infuse the entire can of soup you're about to heat.

yes., just boil the chicken in water for an hour or so, with some onion & celery if you have it. That will make a good chicken broth for your soup. If the chicken is boneless, you only need to cook it for half that time.

Yes, you can boil noodles in chicken broth. You just have to be careful not to boil your noodles too long and make them mushy unless you prefer them that way.

By cooking noodles in a separate pot, you're giving them the best chance to become the best version of themselves—well salted and well cooked. After boiling the noodles, I like to drain them, add a portion to each bowl, and ladle broth (and whatever is in the broth) on top.

For a deeply flavorful chicken soup, get some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, season them, brown them in a skillet, then finish them in a 375 F oven. You can refrigerate them until you're ready to make the soup, then simply dice them up and add them to the soup at the very end.

While broth and stock both get richer and richer the longer you cook them, the problem is that the chicken meat will dry out and get tough if you let it go too long.

Wolff recommends jazzing up chicken noodle soup with “interesting toppings, like spices, sauces, or drizzles.” For example, harissa—a North African chili paste—gives the broth complexity and heat. The Middle Eastern seasoning blend za'atar would also be a nice touch, adding rich, earthy character to the soup.

How do you fix tasteless chicken soup? ›

Herbs add a fresh note to a bland chicken soup. Add a sprig or two and let them steep as the soup simmers for 10 to 30 minutes, or chop the herbs and toss them in for near-immediate color and flavor.

Add Vinegar To Begin With To Avoid Oversalting

By adding a splash of an acidic ingredient to your soup as you cook it, you'll reduce the need to add as much salt, while still highlighting and deepening the flavors in the pot.

Simmering and Boiling

In the event that your goal is to keep moisture in—like when your pot of soup, stew, or sauce is already at the right consistency, but you want to keep cooking the vegetables and melding the flavors—leave the lid on to keep any more liquid from evaporating.

Cooking a soup, stew, or sauce uncovered allows water to evaporate, so if your goal is to reduce a sauce or thicken a soup, skip the lid. The longer you cook your dish, the more water that will evaporate and the thicker the liquid becomes—that means the flavors become more concentrated, too.

Keep the soup at a steady simmer: Keep the pot partially covered and at a low simmer. You should see slow but steady bubbles and wisps of steam coming from the pot (although don't reduce the temperature so low that the water falls below 165°F or else the chicken won't cook through).

Noodles left to simmer in soup for too long become slimy and overly soft, and they can break down and make your soup too starchy. If you're adding them on reheating, you can add uncooked pasta after the soup is simmering steadily and cook it for 10 minutes or cook your pasta separately and add it just before serving.

Add the noodles.

Add the noodles to the soup and gently stir to combine. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes (if using freshly-made homemade egg noodles) or 15-20 minutes (if using frozen egg noodles) until the noodles reach your desired level of doneness.

If you're making this to eat later in the day, or you anticipate leftovers, cook the egg noodles in water separately and add them to individual servings. This prevents the noodles soaking up excess broth, which can make them mushy and reduce the amount of broth in your soup.

How do you keep noodles from getting soggy in soup? The trick is to only add the noodles when you are ready to serve the soup. If you make a large pot of soup, reserve the pasta, and add it to each portion as you reheat it, cooking it in the soup for the time recommended on the package.