Chicken Noodle Soup
Clear chicken broth with tender meat, noodles and lots of vegetables, the ultimate comfort food.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- 2 hr 10 min
- Total
- 2 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 386 kcal
- Servings
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cooking & baking
- 2 hr 10 min
Clear chicken broth with tender meat, noodles and lots of vegetables, the ultimate comfort food. The noodles are deliberately cooked separately, because if cooked in the soup they soak up all the broth overnight and become mushy. A dish you cook when someone is sick or the day was hard.
Why this works
Noodles release starch into the broth and absorb liquid at the same time, and both do not stop when the stove is off. Overnight they bind a multiple of their volume, the broth becomes cloudy and thick, the noodles mushy. Cooked separately and combined in the bowl, each keeps its consistency, and the soup can be reheated the next day instead of having to be cooked again.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Start the broth
Put the chicken on with cold water and bring it slowly to a simmer. Starting cold is important, because only then do the proteins dissolve gradually and the broth becomes clear. Skim off the gray foam carefully in the first twenty minutes, otherwise it clouds the whole soup.
- 2
Add aromatics
Roast the halved onions cut side down in a dry pan until dark and add them to the pot along with bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stems and salt. The roasted onion halves give the broth color and depth without clouding it.
- 3
Let steep for a long time
Let the broth steep over the lowest heat for seventy minutes without ever boiling vigorously. Bubbling boils emulsify the fat and make the broth milky cloudy. It should only tremble very slightly on the surface. Take the chicken out afterwards and let it cool.
- 4
Strain and cook vegetables
Pour the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot and skim excess fat from the surface. Bring it back to a simmer and cook carrots, celery and leek in it for twelve minutes until they are soft but still have shape.
- 5
Combine
Remove the meat from the bone, pull it into bite-sized pieces and put it back into the soup. Cook the noodles separately in salted water and distribute them only in the bowls. Season the soup with salt, pepper and the teaspoon of lemon juice, which makes it noticeably fresher, and sprinkle parsley over it.
Our best tips
- Always cook noodles separately and only add them in the bowl, otherwise they soak up all the broth overnight.
- The broth must never boil vigorously. The lowest heat is the only way to a clear soup.
- A teaspoon of lemon juice at the end works wonders. It feels like it replaces a pinch of salt and makes the broth lively.
Tasty variations
With ginger
Let a thumb-sized piece of ginger and a chili steep with it, especially soothing for a cold.
Quick version
Work with ready-made chicken broth and chicken breast, then the soup is ready in 30 minutes.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 386 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 34 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| – of which sugar | 6 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
Estimated, not calculated – why
Here some of the ingredients never reach the plate: most frying oil stays in the pan, and in a stock the solids are strained off. How much of it ends up in the food cannot be calculated – counting a litre of oil would quintuple the figure, leaving it out would describe a dish baked without fat. So this is an editorial estimate rather than a total that would look dependable without being so.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my broth cloudy?
It boiled instead of steeping, or the foam was not skimmed off. Both can only be corrected to a limited extent afterwards.
Boiling fowl or chicken?
A boiling fowl gives significantly more flavor and gelatin, but takes longer. Chicken legs are the good compromise of time and aroma.
How long does the soup keep?
Four days in the fridge, even better without noodles. The broth alone can be frozen excellently in portions.
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