Chicken Noodle Soup

Name: Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 2 tbsp unsalted butter, or olive oil; 1 yellow onion, about 150 g, diced; 2 carrots, about 150 g, sliced 5 mm thick; 2 celery stalks, sliced 5 mm thick; 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 1¾ l (7½ cups) chicken stock, Chicken Stock or good store-bought, low-sodium; 600 g (1⅓ lb) bone-in, skin-off chicken thighs, about 5 thighs; boneless works too; 3 sprigs thyme; 1 bay leaf; 150 g (5 oz) dried egg noodles, wide or medium; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 15 g (½ cup loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley, chopped; fine sea salt and black pepper, about 6 g (1 tsp) salt to start, more to taste

Poached thighs, a clear golden broth and noodles cooked on the side

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 55 min
Level: Easy

The soup people make for someone they care about. This version poaches whole chicken thighs gently in stock so the meat stays juicy and the broth gains body, then cooks the noodles separately so they never swell into mush in the leftovers.

Ingredients

2 tbspunsalted butteror olive oil
1yellow onionabout 150 g, diced
2carrotsabout 150 g, sliced 5 mm thick
2celery stalkssliced 5 mm thick
2 clovesgarlicthinly sliced
1¾ lchicken stock (7½ cups)Chicken Stock or good store-bought, low-sodium
600 gbone-in, skin-off chicken thighs (1⅓ lb)about 5 thighs; boneless works too
3 sprigsthyme
1bay leaf
150 gdried egg noodles (5 oz)wide or medium
1 tbsplemon juice
15 gflat-leaf parsley (½ cup loosely packed)chopped
fine sea salt and black pepperabout 6 g (1 tsp) salt to start, more to taste

Allergens: gluten, egg, milk, celery
Origin: United States
Season: Autumn, Winter

Method

Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned, 8–10 minutes. 9 min
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, until fragrant. 1 min
Pour in the stock, add the chicken thighs, thyme, bay leaf and 6 g (1 tsp) salt. Bring just to a simmer, then lower the heat so the surface only trembles, with a bubble breaking here and there.
Poach the chicken uncovered until the thickest thigh reads 80°C (175°F) at the bone and the meat pulls away easily, 25–30 minutes. Skim off any gray foam in the first 10 minutes. 25 min
Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to a boil with 1% salt (10 g per liter). Cook the noodles until just tender, drain, and toss with a few drops of oil so they don't stick. 8 min
Lift the chicken onto a board. Fish out the thyme stems and bay leaf. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into bite-size shreds and discard the bones.
Return the meat to the pot and warm through. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley, then taste and adjust with salt and plenty of pepper.
Divide the noodles between bowls and ladle the hot soup over.

Why it works

Thigh meat has more connective tissue than breast, and taking it to around 80°C melts that collagen into gelatin, giving both tender meat and a broth with body. A bare simmer rather than a boil keeps proteins from emulsifying with fat into cloudiness. Cooking the noodles apart stops their surface starch from thickening and dulling the broth.

Common mistakes

Boiling hard: the broth turns cloudy and the chicken goes stringy. Keep it at a tremble.
Cooking the noodles in the soup and storing them together: they drink the broth overnight. Keep them separate.
Salting fully at the start with store-bought stock: brands vary wildly, so season properly only at the end.

Variations

Rice instead of noodles: Use 150 g cooked rice (Perfect Rice) in the bowls in place of noodles.
Ginger and greens: Add 3 slices of fresh ginger with the stock and wilt a handful of spinach into each bowl at the end.

Make ahead and storage

The soup without noodles keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months frozen. Store cooked noodles separately for up to 2 days.

Notes

Breast meat can be used: poach it only until it reads 65°C (150°F) in the thickest part, about 12–15 minutes, then leave it in the hot broth off the heat for 5 minutes. Held at 65°C for a few minutes, chicken is as safe as at an instant 74°C (165°F), and it stays juicier.