Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
Description
I made this 2022-10-20 for Samantha, who came home from Newport with Covid, really sick. She managed to avoid it for over two years. She asked Tim to pick her up some chicken noodle soup at the store, but I made this instead.
oh my gosh, delicious! my new go-to nurse mom soup.
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds bone-in chicken breasts and/or thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 celery rib, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
5 ounces spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces (1½ cups)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Directions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook chicken until well browned all over, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add broth, onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon salt, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until breasts register 160 degrees and/or thighs register at least 175 degrees, 14 to 17 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat; discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Transfer chicken to plate and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bones.
- Return soup to boil over medium-high heat and add pasta. Cook, uncovered, until pasta is tender, 9 to 11 minutes, stirring often. Add chicken and parsley and cook until chicken is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Soup can be made through step 3, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Notes
I substituted Cascatelli for the noodles (obviously). I had to cook this thicker pasta in the broth a little longer. I used two packs of Costco chicken thighs. Since I just "eyeballed" how much chicken and pasta to add, it looked more like a stew than a soup - but so good! We ate most of it the first day. The small amount left over the next day got even thicker, like pasta salad. So, I made a second batch, this time with more broth (homemade this time). A good sign of a keeper recipe for me is being disappointed with the very few leftovers and making it immediately again for more.