Hearty Chicken Soup
Best Hearty Chicken Soup Recipe
There’s truly nothing quite as comforting as big bowl of home cooked hearty chicken soup.
It’s funny. I used to only associate chicken soup with getting sick. I mean, sure, I’d eat it at other times when I wasn’t sick, but it was nothing overly special. But all that changed in college. There was this cute little cafe I worked in part time, it was tucked away in the back of a furniture store, a family business run by a mom and her daughters. They were truly the sweetest people and let me tell you, they could cook. OMG could they cook! Every morning when I’d arrived, the Mom would be pulling her infamous Parker House Rolls out of the oven, and wow, let me tell you, if heaven has a smell, it’s those rolls. There was nothing like them! We’d all indulge in a fresh roll, straight from the oven, as our breakfast, right before opening (they had this insanely delicious cinnamon butter that I would always put on mine and it would melt into the pillowy warm crevices of the roll and I honestly just have no words for how good it was) and I will tell you, I still dream about those rolls to this day.
And now I just realized I’ve gone on and on about rolls when today’s post is all about soup. Typical. But I promise I have a point. The point being that everything these women made was insanely delicious.
Outside of the rolls, another favorite of mine was their soups. They made the most decadent brocooli cheddar soup, and, you probably guessed it, the richest, most decadent and delicious chicken noodle soup. It was literally life changing. And it forever changed how I thought about and felt about chicken noodle soup.
This soup was loaded with vegges, chicken and the BEST homemade noodles all enrobed in thick, creamy, brothy goodness. There was truly nothing like this chicken noodle soup. I mean, clearly. Here I am all these years later still thinking about, still dreaming about (alongside those heavenly rolls) and recreating a recipe for it. Because this wasn’t just another chicken noodle soup. This was THE chicken noodle soup.
While I don’t think anything will ever be quite as good as the soup recipe they’d whip up, I hope mine does there’s even a little bit of justice. I have to say, based on how Dave has slurped down bowl after bowl, I think it might. It’s, of course loaded with all the things, yes even the homemade noodles and cream (although there are plenty of alternative options for both), it only takes a little more than 30 minutes to make, and it’s a great recipe if you’re looking for something that has a lot of variations and substitutions. Aka it’s really easy to adapt to whatever your needs are or what you might have on hand. While I love a regular old chicken noodles soup, to me when I think hearty, I think thick and creamy, not something with a water, light broth, ya know what I mean? So when I think of a hearty chicken soup, this soup, that cafe’s soup, is exactly what comes to mind. It’s comforting, it’s cozy, it’s nutritious, it’s packed with vitamins and nutrients, it’s most definitely hearty, and it’s just a great soup for the wintertime, whether you’re sick or not.
While I’ll never forget those lovely ladies who took me in as one of their own, gave me wonderful memories I’ll never forget, one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, and some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten, I sadly, have lost touch with them over the years. But I’ll never forget them, and their rolls and this chicken noodle soup.
HEARTY CHICKEN SOUP
SERVES 6-8
INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN SOUP
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small yellow or white onions, minced
4 large carrots, thinly sliced or diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 3/4-2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into small cubes
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
8 cups chicken stock or broth
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
6-8 tablespoons corn starch or all-purpose flour
1 cup peas
1 1/2-2 cup noodles (homemade recipe, below)
1/2 cup heavy cream
HOMEMADE NOODLES
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoons water
INSTRUCTIONS
Add the butter and olive oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, stir in the garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to turn translucent and the veggies start to brown.
Add in chicken, sprinkle in the salt and pepper, stir and cook for 5-6 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally, until the meat starts to brown.
Pour in the stock or broth, add in thyme and stir, bringing the mixture to a boil. Then turn the heat to medium low and cover and cook for 35-45 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, you can make the homemade noodles. Simply mix the ingredients together in a large bowl, adding enough water to form a sticky dough. Roll the dough out on lightly floured surface to your desired thickness (I prefer my noodles to be a little on the thicker side for this soup, but thin ones work great, too…it’s totally up to you!). Then cut into noodles (again, this is up to you. You can make them as long or as short as you want. For me, I prefer them on the shorter side.) and set aside until you’re ready to add them to the soup, in step 6.
Back to the soup, working quickly so as to avoid lumps, stir in the corn starch or flour until incorporated into the mixture (see notes for my tricks and tips on this step).
Then add in the peas and noodles. Continue cooking until the noodles are cooked through (the time will vary depending on the size of the noodles used; thick noodles can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes, while thinner noodles may take no more than 5-7 minutes).
Once the noodles are cooked, stir in the heavy cream. Then serve and enjoy. I love to serve this with a sprinkle of fresh herbs (such as thyme or parsley) on top and with a nice, crusty bread and fresh salad on the side.
NOTES
This soup can be made up to 24 hours in advance, then kept covered in the refrigerator, and simply reheated when you’re ready to serve it. And while this isn’t one of those slow cooker recipes by any means, you could easily reheat it in the slow cooker, or, if you’re serving it for a gathering/dinner, I would suggest transferring it to a slow cooker as a way to keep it warm for guests.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Then simply reheat as much or as little as you need at a time in a large saucepan over medium heat. And if the soup has gotten too thick, you can always add a little more broth while you’re reheating it.
Instead of the butter you can use vegan butter. You can also sub the butter for additional oil.
Instead of olive oil, you can use avocado oil.
Instead of the onions, try using thinly sliced leeks.
Sub two of the carrots for two parsnips.
You can add in a few handfuls of fresh spinach or chopped kale for some extra greens.
You can use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock or broth.
The amount of chicken meat you use is totally up to you. For a really loaded soup, I like to go more towards the 2 1/2 pound end of the scale, but sometimes, if I’m feeling something a little lighter/more veggie heavy, I’ll cut way back on the amount of meat I use.
For the corn starch/flour, a few things. One you can use a gluten-free flour instead. Secondly, I find the cornstarch tends to have less issues with incorporating and lumps and definitely mixes in easier than flour, however I think flour provides a bit of a creamier taste. One option you can do to make the process of mixing it in easier is to make a slurry. Simply remove some of the hot liquid from the soup pot into a separate dish or bowl. Then whisk the flour or cornstarch into that mixture (make sure it’s enough liquid, otherwise you’ll have dumplings when you add it back to the pot) before carefully and quickly stirring it back into the soup pot.
For the noodles, feel free to use store bought fresh noodles, dry pasta or a gluten-free pasta of your choice (Personally, I also really like using Jovial noodles when I don’t have time to make my own noodles). You can also cook noodles separately, cooking only what you need each time you eat the soup, to ensure that the noodles are always fresh and don’t expand and absorb too much liquid when the leftovers are being stored in the fridge. I find that you don’t really need to do this with homemade noodles or thicker pastas, but any smaller noodles I would recommend doing this instead.
The cream really makes the soup, in my opinion, but it can definitely be omitted, or you can substitute it for milk, half and half or a dairy free milk of your choice (I would recommend unsweetened almond or oat milk).
Chicken Soup Variations
CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP // In place of using the noodles, add in 1 cup wild rice instead, and omit the thyme. Serve with fresh parsley.
CHICKEN GNOCCHI SOUP // Skip the noodles and instead add 1 package of gnocchi (regular or cauliflower). Simmer the soup until the gnocchi are cooked through, then serve with a little freshly grated parm and some fresh parsley, and if you like a little spice, some chili flakes on top. If you like it extra-spicy I would also recommend stirring in 1 teaspoon of pepper flakes to the pot of soup. This is also a great variation to add a few handful of fresh spinach or kale to.
CHICKEN TORTELLINI SOUP // Skip the noodles and instead add 1 package of tortellini of your choice. Simmer until the tortellini are cooked through, then serve with a little freshly grated parm and some fresh basil, and if you like a little spice, some chili flakes on top. If you like it extra-spicy I would also recommend stirring in 1 teaspoon of pepper flakes or Calabrian chilis to the pot of soup. This is also a great variation to add a few handful of fresh spinach or kale to.
CHICKEN ITALIAN-STYLE SOUP // For this variation, add 1 diced red pepper along with the rest of the veggies. Use only 1 pound of chicken. Then, when you add it to the pot, add in 1 pound of Italian sausage. Mix in 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili peppers. Add one can (15 ounces) of cannellini beans as well as a few handfuls of fresh spinach. You can use either the fresh pasta, gnocchi, or my favorite, tortellini. Serve with fresh parm and basil on top.
CHICKEN WHITE BEAN SOUP // This version is especially great if you’re not using as much meat as it’s another great source of protein and beans always make a hearty soup extra heartier. Simply add one can (15 ounces) of cannellini beans when you add in the broth.
CHICKEN POTATO SOUP // Instead of using noodles, use 2-3 large russet potatoes cut into small cubes. Add them into the soup when you add in the broth.
CHICKEN KIELBASA SOUP // Use only 1 pound of chicken and substitute 1 kielbasa, sliced, for the other pound of chicken. Instead of the noodles, use 2-3 russet potatoes, diced, and add them in when you add in the other vegetables.
CHICKEN DUMPLING SOUP // This is one of my favorite variations! Instead of using homemade noodles, use dumplings. It’s actually even easier than noodles as there is no rolling out dough involved. You can use any dumpling recipe of your choice but I like to keep mine pretty simple- 1 cup flour to 1/3-1/2 cup milk, 2 teaspoons baking powder, some salt and pepper, maybe some fresh herbs. Then mix and drop by teaspoonfuls right into the soup. Cook for about 12-15 minutes before serving.
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP // Tortilla soup tends to be lighter, so you’ll definitely be leaving the cream and cornstarch/flour out of this one. You’ll also want to omit the carrots and celery, and instead use 2 diced red or green peppers as well as 2 jalapeños, minced and seeds removed. For the chicken, I prefer it to be shredded, so I like to cook it whole, then remove chicken from the pan, shred chicken with two forks, then add the shredded meat back into the soup. When you stir in the broth, you’ll also want to add in one (15 ounce can) diced tomatoes (preferably fire roasted) as well as the juice from two limes and 2 teaspoons taco seasoning. Then instead of adding peas, add corn. Serve with tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, diced green onions, jalapeño slices, lime wedges and/or fresh cilantro.
CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP // Basically like tortilla soup but richer and thicker. In other words, follow the tortilla soup recipe but leave the flour and cream in.
