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!
I had no intention of sharing this Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup recipe with you guys when I made it for the first time during the holidays. My family really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t especially inventive or creative—it was just a really nice chicken noodle soup. It was warm and comforting.
Later, after realizing that not all of my content needed to be eye-catching and thrilling, I decided to write a blog post instead of continuing with my original plan. There’s something nice about a classic that works. This recipe for chicken noodle soup is somewhat inspired by the one my mother used to make for me whenever I was a child. homemade poached chicken topped with an abundance of vegetables and fresh herbs It’s warm, simple to prepare, and ideal for cold nights when you want something wholesome and comforting.
I chose a traditional Italian combination of fresh rosemary, thyme, bay leaf (which, surprisingly, is also available here in Spain instead of dried), a tiny bit of sage, and parsley. Finally, just to spice things up, I added a ton of freshly chopped basil that had been julienned. And although I kept fearing that the soup would become overly herbaceous, it was excellent. When it comes to chicken soup, I’ve discovered that more really is more.
These days, homemade chicken noodle soup is most likely considered “retro.” However, it will always be one of my all-time favorite comfort foods, and I make multiple batches each winter and freeze them.
Truly. Our favorite feature of this city is that almost every apartment window is actually a French door that opens to a tiny balcony with a view of the streets below. And needless to say, Barcelona’s balcony garden game is strong. Our neighbors have decorated their tiny balconies with nearly every type of hanging planter, tree, shrub, flower, vegetable, and herb imaginable on our block alone. Additionally, everything is incredibly vibrant, lush, and flourishing because of the extremely plant-friendly climate here and the lovely afternoon sunshine that our street receives. This is excellent news for this newly arrived brown-thumbed expat.
Which brings us to today’s recipe, a classic that has been given a major boost thanks to an abundance of fresh herbs.
Barclay and I were eager to start planting a small garden here as soon as we moved in, of course. We immediately made a large trip to the gardening market to purchase twelve hanging planters and an enormous amount of soil. (Which, without a car, proved to be hilariously impossible to carry home. Then, Barclay helped fulfill my childhood dreams by creating a miniature paradise of my favorite plants—a million herbs! Well, maybe a dozen different herbs.—instead of planting a million flowers. Nevertheless, after spending so many years living in a loft in Kansas City without a balcony, backyard, or garden of any kind, I am ecstatic to have the ability to open the door and quickly clip whatever fresh herbs I might need for a recipe. To sum up, our meals have been incredibly herbacious lately.
How to Make Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup
Let’s start by poaching the chicken. Certain recipes for chicken noodle soup may use pre-shredded rotisserie chicken, but preparing your own will enhance the flavor significantly. To make it, simply put a few skinless, boneless chicken breasts in a pot with some store-bought chicken stock, fresh herbs, cloves of garlic, and salt. Once the chicken is fork-tender, simmer it for approximately one hour.
Once the chicken is almost cooked, begin preparing the soup base. I enjoy cooking onions until they are caramelized and jammy. While it takes a little longer than a typical sauté, the sweetness it adds is nice. As you shred the chicken, add the carrots and celery and turn off the heat.
This is a crucial step: after removing the chicken, strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and throw away any remaining aromatics. Don’t discard this cooking liquid; it will give the soup a wonderful flavor boost!
Now is when you can kind of go off script. Ladle in the cooking liquid and add a bit more of that store-bought chicken stock to the vegetables. It’s fairly salty, so you probably won’t need it all. Taste the soup as you go until you get the perfect consistency.
Lastly, simmer everything for a while until the vegetables are tender. This should only take a few minutes if, like me, you prefer your vegetables crunchy. Add the remaining fresh herbs just before serving. Serve each portion with your pasta of choice and enjoy!.
- A high-quality chicken stock goes a long way here. Because Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Bone Broth is so flavorful and doesn’t include added salt, I always use it for soups. The ideal broth is unsalted since it allows you to completely regulate how salty your soup is. If salted must be used, be sure to use less of the kosher salt specified in the recipe.
- In order to avoid the noodles and vegetables becoming mushy, I like to cook the pasta in a separate pot. You can boil the pasta in the soup itself if you really don’t want to clean up another dish (I understand). Just be cautious to cut the vegetables into larger pieces and stay away from pasta shapes that require lengthy cooking times.
- Try pairing this recipe for Fresh Herb Chicken Noodle Soup with a warm piece of crusty bread if you’re not a fan of pasta. For my gluten-free friends, cooked rice is an excellent substitute. I love a blend of brown and wild rice.
