Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Variations
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup: To make this soup, add two to four tablespoons of heavy cream or half-and-half.
- Add Lemon: To make this soup akin to lemon chicken soup, add three to four lemon slices.
- Mexican-Inspired Soup: Chop up some diced tomatoes and cubed avocado, add a couple of lime slices, and replace the noodles with rice. As we do in this chicken tortilla soup, you can even add chopped corn tortillas.
- Add Umami: For an incredibly satisfying, umami-packed soup, try adding a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, some mushroom powder, or a few dashes of fish sauce.
- Add More Vegetables: To make the soup more vegetable-heavy, swirl in some fresh spinach or kale toward the end of cooking.
- Try potatoes, winter squash, rice, quinoa, or grains in place of the noodles. Add the onions and carrots to the pot, then add some hearty vegetables (like potatoes). Add cooked rice and other grains when using them.
- Use Tortellini: For this vegetarian tortellini soup, I love to use cheese-filled pasta.
Make your own mirepoix
If you’re unfamiliar with the term “mirepoix,” allow us to add this timeless pairing to your skill set. This blend of finely chopped celery, onions, and carrots is a mainstay in French cooking, adding flavor to food with a blend of aromatics and sweetness. A robust base is essential for any homemade chicken noodle soup, so make sure your stock has plenty of flavor. These three veggies should be chopped, tossed in your preferred fat until they start to caramelize, and then boiled with the rest of your stock’s ingredients.
A mirepoix is a simple way to improve any store-bought broth, even if you’re not making your own stock. Although it may seem too good to be true, this straightforward method is the easiest way to guarantee that your chicken noodle soup gets off to a flavorful start. It’s really that simple to use this trifecta—one, two, three.
Remember that seasoning is always on your side when it comes to subtly adding flavor to chicken noodle soup. We’re not just referring to your standard dry seasonings here; we also mean the fresh herbs that can be added to soup to enhance its flavor at different points during the cooking process. Basic seasonings like salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings are listed in recipes. These garnishes are a must, but we can also offer suggestions for the best freshly chopped herbs to elevate your soup above the ordinary.
Add the fresh thyme stems and rosemary at the start of the soup-making process to infuse your broth with their potent aromas and flavors. Let them seep into the soup from the outset. Chopped parsley is the classic garnish that elevates any soup with herb flavor. A handful of parsley, though it’s best known for its vivid green color, will add some vibrancy and refresh the flavors of your chicken noodle soup. Generally speaking, you should use three times as much fresh herb if your recipe calls for it as a powder or dry seasoning.
We’ve moved past connecting chicken noodle soup to depressing, sick days. A squeeze of citrus might be the last missing piece in your homemade chicken noodle soup recipe, if you’ve been looking everywhere for it. Lemon can add brightness to your meal to balance out the other flavors that are more salty otherwise. Lemon juice has the ability to balance out the savory flavors in your soup by cutting through them.
Though it may seem excessive to add such a strong flavor to a soup that isn’t known for having the strongest flavors, we can provide you with advice on exactly how much and when to add lemon juice to your chicken soup. There are, of course, certain dos and don’ts when it comes to using lemon in soup. Depending on the cook, recipes call for one to four tablespoons of lemon juice. But one thing is certain: in order to prevent the lemon juice from becoming bitter, it should always be added right at the very end of the cooking process. Try this tip and see how your chicken noodle soup turns into a delicious meal.
Give it a creamy base
If your chicken noodle soup is still too bland, you can improve it by making a creamy version of this typically brothy soup. For those who enjoy dairy, adding milk, butter, or heavy cream to your chicken noodle soup is a great way to enhance the flavor and fillingness of a lighter broth. A common method to thicken and enhance the flavor of any broth is to whisk flour or cornstarch into the base to create a roux.
Speaking of dairy substitutes, if you’re searching for something just as creamy without the dairy, let’s talk about them. If you decide to use dairy-free milk, we suggest cashew milk to give the soup a hint of nuttiness or coconut milk for a lighter option. Adding tahini is another option that may seem a little unconventional. We all know and adore hummus, but we’d like to highlight tahini as the key to its creaminess and real unsung hero status. This sesame paste may hold the secret to making the creamiest, nondairy chicken noodle soup while also enhancing the flavor profile.
