Chicken Noodle Soup (for the Socially Distanced Soul)
Our hamster wheel of a life in quarantine was shaken up this weekend with a trip to a park, making an offer on what could be our first home, and then watching one of the first good episodes of Drag Race in a long time! It felt like a breath of fresh air.
The past, I don’t know, two months? have been pretty much super upsetting, and so we’ve been pulling out all the shots with comfort foods. Beau’s been making red sauce for meatballs and spaghetti like crazy, we’ve been making that tater tot casserole thing a shit ton, and lately I’ve even busted out my favorite chicken soup. I know chicken noodle soup is something usually reserved for fall & winter meals or when you’re feeling sick, but it’s kinda perfect for right now because it’s cheap to make, yields a big batch to eat off of for a few days, uses up leftover chicken and vegetables, and gives you something warm and comforting which is pretty much exactly what we all need right now. Yes?
I started making this a little over a year ago, and used this recipe as my base to improvise with. I follow it pretty closely with just a few alterations. Instead of egg noodles we typically use chickpea cavatappi because the shapes are fun and the soup gets caught in the little spirals, and it’s a higher protein option than traditional pasta but still manages to be carby and delicious. I’ve made this before with my own homemade stock and find that to be, like, the best thing ever. But no one expects you to always have homemade stock on hand and we often use store bought. BUT, if you do have homemade stock on hand, make this soup with it. That’s an order, comrade.
And now on to the recipe.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Makes 5-6 servings
Largely based on this recipe from The Kitchn with a couple alterations.
1.5 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 5 thighs)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 quarts low sodium chicken broth, divided (again, if you have homemade, use that!!)
8 oz. dry pasta
salt and pepper to taste, and as needed
Salt both sides of the chicken thighs and set aside. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat until butter has melted and the oil begins to sizzle. Add carrots, onions, and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook and stir occasionally until vegetables have begun to soften (about 5 minutes), then add garlic and combine. Cook an additional minute.
Move the vegetables to the edges of the pot so there’s a space in the center big enough for all the chicken thighs. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the center and, once that’s heated, place chicken thighs in the pot skin-side down. It’s okay for them to be snug! Sear for about 4 minutes until golden brown, then flip. Cook an additional 3 minutes.
Add bay leaves and sprinkle another pinch of salt, then cover mixture with one quart of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer half an hour.
Move pot from heat and transfer chicken thighs to a plate or cutting board. Optionally remove and discard the skin at this point, but I prefer to leave that crispy deliciousness in there. Use two forks to shred the meat. Don’t worry if it’s still a little uncooked, we’ll be cooking it more later! Discard bones (or save to make more broth).
Cook the pasta in a separate pot of water according to package instructions. You can also add the remaining quart of broth to your main pot and cook the pasta in the soup. (When I make this, I cook the pasta separately because we like chickpea pasta, which will become mushy faster than regular pasta.)
Return the shredded chicken to the soup and add remaining chicken broth if you didn’t in the last step. Bring to a boil, and make sure chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove bay leaves, then add and incorporate noodles if cooked separately. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve!
Note
If you want to use leftover cooked chicken or a prepared rotisserie chicken instead of prepping thighs specifically for this soup, add the chicken in step 6 when you would otherwise be returning the shredded chicken to the soup.
Thanks for stopping by the blog, and as always, let us know if you try this out!
xoxo Matt & Beau