Ingredients:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 2 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, preferably a mix of chicken thighs and breasts
- 8 c. low-sodium chicken stock
- 4 c. cold water
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/4 c.)
- 2 stalks celery, sliced ⅛” thick (about 1 1/4 c.)
- 1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/8″ thick (about 1 c.)
- 6 oz. wide egg noodles
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 c. finely chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
- Step 1In a large, deep pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Season chicken on all sides with 2 teaspoons salt, then add to pot skin side down. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes, then turn and cook until golden brown on the other side, about 5 minutes more.
- Step 2Add stock, water, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 165°, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Step 3Transfer chicken breasts to a cutting board. Continue to cook dark meat about 40 minutes more. Transfer dark meat to cutting board and let cool at least 10 minutes. Remove skin and bones and discard. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Step 4Meanwhile, discard thyme and bay leaf. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook over medium-low heat, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a bare simmer and stirring occasionally, until just barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente, about 5 minutes more.
- Step 5Stir in chicken and pepper; season with remaining 2 teaspoons salt, as needed.
- Step 6Divide soup among bowls. Top with parsley and more pepper.
- Step 7Make Ahead: Soup (without noodles) can be made 5 days ahead. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. To serve, bring soup to a simmer in a large pot, add noodles, and simmer until noodles are al dente, about 5 minutes.
Chicken noodle soup is one of the world’s most beloved comfort foods, and we definitely took that to heart when creating this recipe.
How To Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
The best type of noodles for chicken noodle soup.
When choosing the best type of noodle for chicken noodle soup, wide egg noodles are the perfect choice. They hold their own against the chicken and the vegetables, while simultaneously adding their own rich body to the soup. If you’re in a pinch, you can use whatever thick noodle you have on hand, but we highly recommend egg noodles for this classic recipe.
The secret to the most flavorful chicken noodle soup.
Browning the chicken in the pot before adding the stock, water, and aromatics boosts the deep, rich flavors that we want to create in the broth. And keeping the liquid at a bare simmer (with just a few tiny bubbles breaking the surface every now and then) throughout the entire process ensures the chicken, vegetables, and noodles will cook gently, coaxing out maximum flavor while moderating the broth’s reduction.
All about the chicken.
You can make chicken noodle soup with any combination of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, but if you have the choice, we highly recommend using a breast, a thigh, and a drumstick (basically, half a chicken, broken down). A combination of white and dark meat is ideal because it gives you that gorgeous shredded white meat in the finished soup with the benefit of the added depth of flavor that comes from stewing the dark meat for an additional 40 minutes after the white meat is finished cooking. Don’t be tempted to leave the chicken breast in for the full hour; it will overcook and turn tough and dry, even when it’s floating in broth.
Storage.
If you have leftovers, we strongly suggest (okay, BEG) that you store the noodles separately from the broth. If they’re stored together, the noodles will soak up the liquid and turn to mush–and there won’t be any broth left. If you’d like to cook this soup in advance, the same recommendation applies, though if you’re making it ahead of time, we’d recommend skipping the noodles completely. You can add them into the broth when you reheat the soup, and they should be fully cooked in just 5 minutes.