This Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup recipe puts a flavorful twist on the classic. The chicken is simmered with a blend of aromatics until fall-apart tender and served in a healing broth with veggies and fat pasta noodles. It’s the best kind of meal: simple and healthy, yet so delicious!
When I made this Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup for the first time around the holidays, I wasn’t planning on sharing it with you guys. It was so warm and cozy, my family loved it, but there wasn’t anything particularly creative or innovative about it— it was just a really good chicken noodle soup.
Later on, I changed my mind and decided to write up a blog post because I realized that not all my content has to be flashy and exciting. There’s something nice about a classic that works. This Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe is loosely based on the one my mom would always make me growing up. Homemade poached chicken with lots of fresh herbs and lots of veggies. It’s cozy, easy to make and so perfect for nights when you’re craving something warm and healthy.
How to Make Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup
Let’s start by poaching the chicken. Some chicken noodle soup recipes will call for pre-shredded rotisserie chicken, but cooking your own is going to add so much more flavor. It’s really easy too! Just place a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pot with some store bought chicken stock, fresh herbs, garlic cloves and salt. Simmer the chicken for about an hour until you can easily shred it with a fork.
When the chicken is almost done cooking, start on the soup base. I like to cook down the onions until they’re jammy and caramelized. This takes a bit longer than your average sauté but it adds a nice sweetness. Add in the carrots and celery then turn off the heat while you shred the chicken.
This part is important: after you remove the chicken, pass the broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard what’s left of the aromatics. This cooking liquid is going to add so much flavor to the soup so don’t throw it out!
Now is when you can kind of go off script. Add in some more of that store bought chicken stock to the veggies and start to ladle in the cooking liquid. You probably won’t need it all—it’s pretty salty, so taste as you go until the soup is just how you like it.
Finally, bring everything up to a simmer to cook until the veggies have softened. If you like your veg on the crunchier side like me, this should only take a few minutes. When you’re ready to eat, stir in the rest of the fresh herbs. Serve each portion with your pasta of choice and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- A high-quality chicken stock goes a long way here. I always use Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Bone Broth for soups because it’s super flavorful and doesn’t contain added salt. Unsalted broth is best because it gives you full control over the saltiness of your soup. If you must use salted, make sure you reduce the amount of kosher salt called for in the recipe.
- I prefer to cook the pasta in a separate pot because it prevents the noodles and veggies from getting mushy. If you really don’t want another dish to clean (I get it) you can boil the pasta directly in the soup. Just make sure to cut the veggies into larger pieces and avoid pasta shapes with extra long cook times.
- If you’re not a fan of pasta, try serving this Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup recipe with a warm hunk of crusty bread. For my gluten-free friends, cooked rice is an excellent substitute. I love a blend of brown and wild rice.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
- One Skillet Pesto Chicken and Orzo
- Cinnamon Chicken Stew
- Grilled Pesto Chicken Wraps
- Cornmeal Crusted Chicken Salad
Made this recipe? Tag @wandering_chickpea on Instagram and follow along on Pinterest for more delicious recipes!
Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup
This Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup recipe puts a flavorful twist on the classic. The chicken is simmered with a blend of aromatics until fall-apart tender and served in a healing broth with veggies and fat pasta noodles. It’s the best kind of meal: simple and healthy, yet so delicious!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
- 3 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh oregano springs
- 1 rosemary stalk
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Soup Base
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup dill, chopped
- 5-6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
- Cooked pasta, rice or crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- To a medium saucepan, add the chicken breasts, chicken broth, thyme, oregano, rosemary, garlic, salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Gently simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is fall-apart tender.
- Meanwhile, make the soup base. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When shimmering, add the onion and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until caramelized. Add the celery and carrots then remove from the heat until the chicken is ready.
- Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and use two forks to shred into bite-sized pieces. Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl. Save the broth, but discard the aromatics.
- To the pot with the vegetables, add the shredded chicken, 3 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add more cooking liquid by the 1/2 cup, tasting as you go, until the soup is salted to your liking.
- Bring to a boil and cook for another few minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the parsley, dill and basil. Serve each portion with cooked pasta or rice and more freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
See blog post for tips
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 444Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 896mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 35g
All nutritional info is an estimation
