Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
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- 16 cups water
- 4 pounds whole chicken
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt – divided
- 1 yellow onion – halved
- 2 celery stalks – cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 10 black peppercorns
- 3 carrots – sliced 0.25-inch thick
- 3 celery stalks – sliced 0.25-inch thick
- 2 garlic cloves – thinly sliced
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper – freshly ground
- fresh parsley – chopped (for serving)
Instructions
1. Place the whole chicken and water in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, skimming foam for 5 minutes as it rises.
2. Add the halved onion, 2 celery stalks (cut pieces), bay leaves, thyme sprigs, black peppercorns, and kosher salt (use 2 teaspoons now; reserve the remaining 0.5 teaspoon to adjust at the end). Reduce heat to low and maintain a gentle simmer until the legs wiggle easily and the broth tastes rich, 60–70 minutes.
3. Lift it out to a bowl and cool 10 minutes. Strain the pot through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the solids, and return the clear broth to the pot. Remove skin and bones from the cooled meat, shred into bite-size pieces, and cover.
4. Bring the broth back to a simmer over medium heat. Add the sliced carrots, sliced celery stalks, and thinly sliced garlic; cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, 10–12 minutes.
5. Stir in the wide egg noodles and simmer until just tender, 5–7 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent sticking.
6. Return the shredded meat to the pot and warm through over low heat, 2–3 minutes.
7. Off the heat, season with freshly ground black pepper and adjust overall seasoning to taste using the reserved portion from step 2. Let the soup rest 2 minutes to settle the flavors.
8. Ladle into warm bowls and finish with chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Chicken noodle soup is a gentle, savory broth brimming with tender shreds of chicken, soft but springy egg noodles, and sweet aromatics like carrot and celery. The flavors are clean and comforting, built from a long simmer that draws collagen and depth from the bones without heaviness. It’s a bowl that balances richness and freshness, often brightened at the end with pepper and a sprinkle of parsley.
Across North America, chicken noodle soup has become a universal comfort food, yet its roots stretch to European and Jewish chicken soups where noodles or dumplings were commonly added. In the United States, it grew in popularity through home cooking traditions and later through canned versions that cemented its reputation as restorative fare. Today, it remains a weeknight staple and a cultural touchstone, passed down in countless family kitchens with small, meaningful variations.