Chicken Noodle Soup
See the illustrated walkthrough ↓A clear-broth chicken noodle soup with shredded breast, carrots, celery and parsley. Cook the egg noodles separately to keep tomorrow’s lunch from turning into soggy pasta.
The recipe
Chicken Noodle Soup
A clear-broth chicken noodle soup with shredded breast, carrots, celery and parsley. Cook the egg noodles separately to keep tomorrow’s lunch from turning into soggy pasta.
Ingredients
- 600g boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into similarly sized pieces
- 200g dry wide egg noodles
- 250g carrots, peeled and cut into thin half-moons
- 150g celery, finely diced
- 150g onion, finely diced
- 12g garlic, finely chopped (about 4 cloves)
- 1.4 litres low-salt chicken stock
- 15g olive oil (about 1 tbsp)
- 1g dried thyme (about 1 tsp)
- 10g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 0.5g ground black pepper (about 1/4 tsp)
- 1g salt (about 1/6 tsp), only if needed after tasting
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens without browning. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the stock and pepper, scraping the bottom of the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower in the raw chicken pieces. Keep the liquid gently bubbling rather than boiling hard.
- Simmer for about 15–20 minutes, checking earlier if the pieces are thin. Insert a thermometer into the centre of the thickest chicken piece: every piece must reach 74°C / 165°F. Time and colour alone do not confirm it is cooked. Continue simmering and checking if necessary.
- While the chicken cooks, boil the egg noodles in a separate pan of water according to their packet instructions, stopping when just tender. Drain. Cooking separately keeps excess starch out of the broth and lets you store noodles apart from the soup.
- Transfer the fully cooked chicken to a clean plate. Check that the carrots are tender; simmer the broth a little longer if needed. Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the broth with the parsley. Taste before adding the measured salt, since stock saltiness varies.
- For dinner now, divide the noodles among four bowls and ladle the hot chicken broth and vegetables over them. For meal prep, portion soup and noodles into separate shallow containers and refrigerate promptly; do not leave the pot out until completely cold.
Storage and reheating
Keep soup and cooked noodles in separate shallow, covered containers in a fridge at 4°C / 40°F or below. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour if the room is above 32°C / 90°F. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat just the portion needed, adding its noodles near the end, until the chicken and noodles reach 74°C / 165°F throughout. Add a splash of water if the broth has reduced. Freeze the soup without noodles for best texture; thaw overnight in the fridge and add freshly cooked noodles when reheating. Label freezer portions and aim to use within 2–3 months for quality.
Substitutions and ingredient notes
For already-cooked chicken, replace the raw chicken with 450g cooked shredded chicken and add it after the carrots soften; heat it to 74°C / 165°F before serving. The nutrition estimate applies to the original raw-chicken version. Small pasta shapes can replace egg noodles, following their own packet timing. Use gluten-free noodles and labelled gluten-free stock if needed; egg noodles contain wheat and egg. This is a clear soup, distinct from our egg-and-lemon avgolemono, miso ramen and coconut-based Thai soups.
Estimated nutrition
476 kcal · 44g protein · 49.3g carbohydrate · 10.5g fat · 4.9g fibre per serving.
Calculated from measured ingredients and generic composition data. Brand choices and substitutions change the estimate. Recipes have not been independently kitchen-tested.
Storage references: USDA leftover guidance · FSA food guidance
How to make it, step by step
This clear-broth soup relies on gentle heat and separately cooked noodles. The walkthrough explains the visual cues behind the recipe card, so you can judge the vegetables, chicken and noodles separately.
These AI-generated illustrations explain the stages; they are not photographs of a cooking test. This recipe has not been independently kitchen-tested. The walkthrough follows the original recipe quantities; use the recipe card for adjusted servings.
Before you start
- Prep before heating. Dice the onion and celery finely and slice the carrots into thin, similar-sized half-moons. Measure the stock and keep a clean plate ready for the cooked chicken. Use separate utensils and surfaces for raw chicken.
- Keep the broth at a gentle simmer. Small bubbles should break the surface steadily. A vigorous boil is unnecessary and makes it harder to control the cooking. Check the chicken with a thermometer rather than judging it by the illustration.
- Store noodles separately. Noodles continue absorbing liquid as they sit. Keeping them apart preserves the broth and lets you warm only the portion you need.
1. Soften the vegetables
Warm the measured olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion, carrot and celery. Stir for 7–8 minutes: the onion should become translucent without developing brown edges. The carrots can still have some firmness because they will finish in the broth. Add the garlic and thyme for the final 30 seconds; keep them moving so the garlic does not scorch.
2. Simmer and check the chicken
Add the stock and pepper, loosen any flavourful bits on the pan base and bring to a gentle simmer. Lower in the similarly sized chicken pieces. Simmer for about 15–20 minutes, checking earlier for thinner pieces. Measure the centre of the thickest part of each piece: all must reach 74°C / 165°F. If one is ready first, move it to a clean plate while the others finish. Cook the noodles in a separate saucepan according to their packet directions.
3. Shred, taste and assemble
Once the chicken is safely cooked, shred it using two forks on a clean plate. Check a carrot piece for tenderness; if needed, let the broth simmer a little longer before returning the chicken. Stir in the parsley and taste before adding salt. For immediate serving, put the drained noodles into bowls and ladle over the chicken, vegetables and broth. For meal prep, refrigerate soup and noodles promptly in separate shallow containers, following the storage notes in the recipe card.
Common problems and what to change
Noodles turn soft: Cook them only until just tender and keep them out of stored soup. Add a portion near the end of reheating.
Broth tastes too salty: Stop adding salt. Dilute with a little water or unsalted stock, then taste again; this changes the concentration and portion size.
Chicken is ready before the carrots: Remove the chicken once each piece reaches 74°C / 165°F. Let the vegetables finish gently, then return the shredded chicken.
Food safety: use a thermometer to confirm chicken reaches 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov temperature guidance.
Recipe images may be AI-generated illustrations. Nutrition figures are estimates. Kenji recipes have not been independently kitchen-tested.