Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in soup? ›

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

Adding cooked chicken to your soup isn't the only way to bulk it up and improve the flavor. You can also try stirring in some other additions. A similar option is to mix in some extra vegetables. Remember, heating up canned soup means you don't cook the broth as long as you would if you were making it from scratch.

Add herbs and spices.

You can also go with more heat and spices. "Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on.

What's more comforting than chicken noodle soup? I use a bit of lemon juice in mine to brighten up the flavor, and it adds such a welcome element. I love to use a fun pasta shape for a soup like this, such as farfalline or gnocchetti.

Drinking the liquid and inhaling the vapors increase the temperature of nasal and respiratory passages, which loosens the thick mucus that often accompanies respiratory illnesses. Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus.

Chicken noodle meets egg drop soup

As you heat up your canned chicken noodle soup, whisk an egg or two together in a bowl. Once the soup is hot enough, reduce the heat to simmer and start stirring it in one direction. As you continue to stir, slowly pour the bowl of whisked eggs into the soup.

Vinegar – A spoonful of vinegar is a quick fix when you find yourself with a bowl of dull, flat-tasting soup. Just a small amount of acid will brighten up the flavors. 2. Soy Sauce – Soy sauce is another item that's ideal for brightening up and adding depth of flavor to an otherwise dull soup.

Brown or Sear the Meat

If you are adding meat to a soup, sear or brown it in a sauté pan before you add it to the soup. This adds a deeper savory flavor to the whole soup. This trick is especially useful for things like chicken and sausage, which can sometimes get bland and rubbery while floating in a brothy soup.

A splash of vinegar or wine can add depth and complexity to the flavors of your chicken noodle soup. Try adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar or a dry white wine for a delightful tangy note. Just remember to add it gradually, tasting as you go, to avoid overpowering the soup.

Add flour or cornflour

Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

Why add vinegar to chicken noodle soup? ›

While adding vinegar won't reduce the amount of sodium in the pot, the sharp tang of this condiment can help equal out the salty flavor on your tastebuds, masking the brininess of an oversalted soup and making it easier to eat.

I often like to jazz it up with a couple ingredients to give it that homemade taste! To accomplish this I often will add a pinch of pepper and 1 or 2 chicken bullion cubes to achieve that homemade perfection taste.

Ensure you've added enough salt and black pepper. Too little salt means your soup's flavors will remain hidden. When you know your soup is salty enough, move on to other seasonings like herbs and spices.

The good news is all of the most popular canned soups in America can be made to taste better with a few simple hacks. That starts with adding aromatics like garlic, ginger, or onions, to the mix, along with an extra helping of spices from basic salt and pepper to curry powders from different regions.

Many recipes use lemon in the beginning of the recipe, but for soup, you'll want to wait and add the lemon towards the end of the cooking process to retain its vibrancy. Start with the juice or zest of half a lemon, then add more as desired.

The steam from chicken soup may open up congested noses and throats. Soup also provides fluid, which thins mucus and helps prevent dehydration.

“Chicken is also high in tryptophan, which helps your body produce serotonin that can enhance your mood and give you the feeling of 'comfort' that helps make chicken noodle soup a true comfort food,” Allonen says.

Research found that chicken soup with various veggies can help ease the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, including congestion, stuffy nose, cough, and sore throat. Vegetables are nutrient-dense and often packed with antioxidants to remove toxins from your system.

As it does with turkey, the body uses tryptophan from chicken to make melatonin—which can help you rest—and serotonin, the chemical that signals your nerves and makes you feel happy and at ease. Both of these are reasons chicken soup is associated with comfort food: you literally feel a physiological sense of comfort.

Bring broth to a boil. Add noodles (either uncooked homemade egg noodles, or dry store-bought pasta) and cook just until noodles are al dente. If using store-bought noodles, be cautious not to overcook them! Remove pot from heat as soon as they are just barely tender.

Why is my chicken noodle soup jelly? ›

When you simmer a fresh chicken — complete with bones, skin, and meat — you extract the collagen from the bones. This collagen in the bones is what is causing your soup to gel. It's completely natural, and it only happens in rich, well-made chicken stock. It can be a little freaky, though, if you're not expecting it!

This ensures that the starch from the noodles doesn't thicken your soup and make it cloudy. Rinse the Noodles: Once the noodles are cooked to al dente, drain them and rinse under cold water. This stops the cooking process and washes off excess starch, preventing them from absorbing more liquid and becoming mushy.

The Foundation: Broths and Stocks

The homemade soup recipes that are most memorable are ones that require a long simmer, with carefully browned bones, vegetables, and seasoning added in.

Dried herbs and seasonings: homemade seasoned salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and dried bay leaves lend flavor to the soup.

Key Ingredients

I love onion, carrot, celery, potato or sweet potato, cabbage, and peas. You can customize this vegetable soup with your favorite seasonal vegetables! In the summer, add fresh zucchini or corn. In the winter, try hearty root vegetables like parsnips or turnips.