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This chicken noodle soup is a wholesome and delicious meal that is ideal for the whole family and all seasons. It is a meal that will warm you up when it’s cold outside and cheer you up even more on a warm day. With this recipe, it is even tastier as all the ingredients are fresh. You get to add fresh flavors to your soup without using the store-bought broth and that way, you can fully control the taste of your meal. Take a look, and have fun making this awesome dish which I am quite sure you and yours will love.
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Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Without Store-Bought Broth
Course: MeatsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: MediumServings
3
servingsPrep time
5
minutesCooking time
40
minutesTotal time
45
minutesThis recipe is great for kids as it does not include a lot of spices. It is plain yet delicious and healthy.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs – 3
Pasta (fusilli) – 2 cups
Onion – ½ a small head
Carrots – 1 medium
Tomatoes – two medium
Coconut milk – 1 tbsp (optional)
Butter – 1tbsp
Water – 4 cups
Salt to taste
Directions
- Wash the chicken thighs and remove the skins and any excess fat from them.
- Dab the thighs dry with a paper towel or place in a colander to drain excess water.
- Cut the onions and tomatoes into small pieces. Keep them separate.
- Slice the carrots into sizeable pieces.
- Heat the frying pan or skillet and add butter to it. Add the chicken pieces as soon as the butter is melted.
- Sear the chicken in butter until slightly brown. Flip and sear the other side. Set the chicken pieces aside.
- On the same skillet, add onions and sauté for a minute or until translucent.
- Add onions and continue sautéing for another minute.
- Add tomatoes and salt. Cook until the tomatoes soften and mush into a thick paste. Stir occasionally so the tomatoes don’t stick to the pan.
- Add coconut milk and stir.
- Add water, stir, and bring to a boil. If your skillet is too small, consider moving everything into a bigger pot before adding water.
- Add pasta and stir. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cook for 15 minutes or until pasta is soft to your desired level. Some people love al dente pasta while some, like me, love it just a little softer but not mushy. Besides, the chicken thighs need enough time to cook fully as well.
- Take the chicken thighs out of the soup and place on a clean chopping board. Using a fork and knife, remove the bones and cut the meat into bite-size chunks. Place the chunks back in the pot and stir to mix with the pasta.
- Serve in a bowl and enjoy (see additional cooking and serving tips below).
Substituting Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup
- You can use chicken breast in place of chicken thighs for this recipe. Chicken breast is leaner and packed with more proteins compared to thighs. I chose thighs though because I love the texture and taste of dark meat more than that of white meat.
- Also, you can use any other pasta other than fusilli for this recipe. I just love fusilli because of its spiral shape. I feel like it looks great in the soup compared to the other pasta.
- You can absolutely omit the carrots and/or add any other vegetables to your chicken noodle soup. I’d go for crunchy vegetables like celery is usually a great addition, but sometimes I just don’t feel like eating celery. Some people would throw a few spinach leaves in there too. You do you. Be flexible. Thankfully, this recipe allows for a lot of that.
- I add tomatoes to my soup for color and taste. However, this soup can do without the tomatoes if you dislike them. Just skip that step and follow the rest, and your soup will still be enjoyable. Just less colorful.
Additional Cooking Tips and Instructions
- If you use chicken breast for this recipe, follow the same cleaning and searing instructions. Note that three chicken breasts will yield more meat than the thighs considering they are larger.
- If you use a different pasta other than fusilli, make sure to crosscheck its cooking instructions in case it needs more cooking time or less liquid.
- I use tomatoes, coconut milk, and the searing method to add flavor to the soup because I do not use any pre-made chicken broth. I recommend that you do the same because if you omit these two ingredients or the searing step, your soup will come out quite bland. As I noted above, you can omit the tomatoes alone but not all three things together.
Additional Serving Tips and Instructions for Chicken Noodle Soup
- You can pull the meat after the meal is ready instead of cutting it into chunks. I do this especially when I make the soup with chicken breast. To pull the meat, place a chunk onto a clean chopping board and use a fork to pull it apart. You can also cut it in half before pulling if you want shorter strands of meat.
- Pulled meat is much safer for kids. If you prefer cutting it into chunks, then do much smaller pieces that are ideal for kids.
- For a more filling meal, you can add a side of soft, layered chapati to go with this meal.
