Chicken Noodle Soup
This is the recipe I make when anyone in this house sneezes. Twice if it’s the kids. There’s something about a pot of chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove that feels like medicine before you eve
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds bone-in
- skin-on chicken thighs
- 8 cups chicken broth (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 3 carrots (peeled and sliced into rounds)
- 3 stalks celery (sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 ounces wide egg noodles
- fresh parsley for serving
- salt and pepper
Method
Step 1: Build the broth
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Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Place the chicken thighs in the pot, pour in the broth, and add the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes until the chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender.
Step 2: Shred the chicken
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Remove the chicken thighs. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
Step 3: Cook the noodles
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Here’s an important choice: cook the noodles directly in the broth if you’re eating it all today. The noodles absorb some broth and pick up incredible flavor. But if you plan on leftovers, cook the noodles separately and add them to individual bowls when serving. Noodles left in broth overnight turn into bloated mush and soak up all the liquid. Cook them separately and your soup stays perfect for days.
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Bring the broth back to a boil, add the egg noodles, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a handful of chopped fresh parsley.
Off the Galley Mike
Mike — Off The Galley
Six years as a Navy cook on submarines and destroyers, feeding 130 sailors from a galley the size of your bathroom. Now I cook the same big-flavor, no-nonsense food for my family of four — and share every recipe here. No culinary school. No fancy plating. Just real food that works, tested on the toughest critics afloat and the pickiest ones at home.
Chicken Noodle Soup — The Recipe I Make When Anyone in This House Sneezes
This is the recipe I make when anyone in this house sneezes. Twice if it’s the kids. There’s something about a pot of chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove that feels like medicine before you even taste it. The steam, the smell of herbs and chicken, the warmth of it — it works on you before the first spoonful.
On the boat, the corpsman — that’s the Navy medic — would request this by name when guys came down with something. “Tell the galley to make the soup.” No specification needed. Everyone knew which soup. It was always chicken noodle, and it was always made from scratch because canned soup for 130 people wasn’t happening.
The Secret Is the Broth
Everything in chicken noodle soup depends on the broth. If the broth is bland, the whole bowl is bland. I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs instead of breasts because they give the broth dramatically more flavor and body. The bones release gelatin as they simmer, which makes the broth silky and rich in a way that boneless chicken never will. Breasts dry out fast and give you watery broth. Thighs stay juicy and make the liquid taste like it simmered all day.
If you want to go a step further, use a rotisserie chicken. Pull the meat off for the soup and throw the carcass and bones into the pot with water, an onion, and a few celery stalks. Simmer for an hour, strain, and you’ve got homemade stock that beats anything in a box.
Ingredients
1.5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 8 cups chicken broth (homemade or store-bought), 2 tablespoons butter, 1 medium onion (diced), 3 carrots (peeled and sliced into rounds), 3 stalks celery (sliced), 3 cloves garlic (minced), 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 6 ounces wide egg noodles, fresh parsley for serving, salt and pepper.
How to Make It
1
1Build the broth
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Place the chicken thighs in the pot, pour in the broth, and add the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes until the chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender.
2
2Shred the chicken
Remove the chicken thighs. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
3
3Cook the noodles
Here’s an important choice: cook the noodles directly in the broth if you’re eating it all today. The noodles absorb some broth and pick up incredible flavor. But if you plan on leftovers, cook the noodles separately and add them to individual bowls when serving. Noodles left in broth overnight turn into bloated mush and soak up all the liquid. Cook them separately and your soup stays perfect for days.
Bring the broth back to a boil, add the egg noodles, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with a handful of chopped fresh parsley.
The Noodle Situation
Wide egg noodles are classic and my preference — they’re sturdy enough to hold up in hot broth without falling apart. But you can use any pasta you like. Some people use rotini, some use broken spaghetti, some make homemade noodles from scratch. All work. The key is cooking them just to al dente because they’ll soften further in the hot broth.
Variations
Lemon chicken soup: Squeeze half a lemon into the finished soup and add a handful of fresh dill instead of parsley. The acidity brightens everything up and it’s especially good when you’re congested.
Creamy version: Stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream at the end for a richer, creamier soup. Not traditional, but incredibly good on a cold night.
Spicy version: Add a diced jalapeño with the vegetables and a pinch of cayenne. When you’re sick and congested, the heat opens everything up.
What to Serve With It
Crusty bread or cornbread for dipping is essential. Saltine crackers are the nostalgic move and there’s nothing wrong with that. A grilled cheese sandwich alongside a bowl of chicken noodle soup is one of the greatest lunch combos ever invented.
This pairs well alongside chicken and dumplings for a chicken soup showdown, or with chili if you want a soup-and-stew spread.
Make-Ahead and Storage
This soup keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days and actually improves overnight as the flavors deepen. Remember to store noodles separately if possible. Freezes well for up to 3 months — freeze without noodles and cook fresh when reheating. Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of broth.
The Sick Day Protocol
When someone in this house gets sick, the protocol is the same every time. Step one: make the soup. Step two: toast some bread. Step three: set up the couch with blankets, a water bottle, and the remote. Step four: deliver the soup in the biggest mug we own because bowls require a spoon and a table, but a mug lets you drink it from the couch while watching terrible daytime television.
I’ve been making this soup for my wife and kids through every cold, flu, and bad day for years. My daughter calls it “Dad’s feel better soup” and actually requests it even when she’s not sick, which I take as the highest possible compliment. My son is less sentimental — he just says “the soup with the noodles, not the other one” — but he eats two bowls so the message is clear.
The trick to having this ready fast when sickness hits is keeping the ingredients stocked. Chicken thighs freeze well. Egg noodles last forever in the pantry. Broth in boxes stacks in the cabinet. When someone wakes up with a scratchy throat, I can have this on the stove in 10 minutes without a grocery run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts?
You can, but the broth won’t be as rich. If using breasts, cook them in the simmering broth for about 20 minutes, then shred. Consider adding a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon to boost the broth flavor.
How do I keep the noodles from getting mushy?
Cook them separately and add to individual bowls when serving. If cooking directly in the broth, eat the soup the same day.
Is chicken soup actually good for colds?
The hot broth helps with congestion, the salt helps with hydration, and the vegetables provide nutrients. Whether it’s medically proven or just comforting doesn’t matter much when you’re sick — it works either way.
Homemade Stock Upgrade
Using homemade chicken stock instead of store-bought transforms this soup. Save chicken bones and carcasses in the freezer. When you have enough, simmer with onion, carrot, celery, and peppercorns for 4-6 hours. Strain and use. The gelatin from the bones creates a silky body that no boxed broth can match.
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