This creamy chicken noodle soup is a homemade version of instant cup-a-soup. Except, well….it’s made with real ingredients! 🙂 Plus croutons and crispy bits of bacon. Hearty, cosy and surprisingly healthy (no cream!).
Creamy chicken noodle soup
This is a nice wholesome soup that’s got everything you need for a complete meal: a good amount of vegetables, protein, starch and a bit of fun (crunchy croutons and crispy bacon bits!).
No cream. No preservatives!
So comparing it to the instant “just add water” powdered soups is a bit undermining, actually. Besides the fact that you won’t need to google any ingredients in this recipe (hands up if you know what maltodextrin, hydrolysed corn protein and potassium chloride is!), this homemade one is much heartier, filled with lots of (real!) chicken, (real!) fresh vegetables and lots of noodles (well, pasta).
Ingredients in creamy chicken noodle soup
Here’s what you need to make this soup. Starting with bacon and raw chicken cooked in the pot makes a tastier soup broth because the golden bits left on the base of the pot – ie fond – adds extra free flavour into the soup broth. But in the event of an emergency, you could shortcut this with pre-cooked shredded chicken and store bought cooked bacon bits. Still better than a packet of powdered soup! 🙂
The chicken and bacon
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Chicken – I use chicken breast, cut in half to form 2 thin steaks which take just a few minutes to cook. It’s then diced into small pieces (easy to eat with a spoon). You could also make this with boneless thighs. It’s a bit wonky to split in half horizontally so just cook them whole.
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Bacon – Use streaky bacon, for a tastier result! It’s called streaky bacon because it’s streaked with fat, and fat = flavour. The bacon will cook in its own fat then we will use it to cook the chicken.
Lean bacon options – I get it, sometimes we need to make healthier choices. So if you have lean bacon, use a smidge of oil to cook the bacon (else it will just burn).
The vegetables
I recommend keeping the onion, garlic, carrot and celery as these form the flavour base for the broth (it’s called a soffritto). But feel free to switch the corn and peas with diced vegetables of choice. You could even reduce the pasta and use more vegetables instead.
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Peas – I use frozen peas for convenience. Just add them into the soup, frozen. Because they are already cooked, they just need to be heated through.
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Corn – As with peas, I use frozen corn. Canned is fine too, just drain first.
Alternatives: Capsicum/bell peppers, zucchini, celeriac or other root vegetables, green beans (chopped). Or stir through baby spinach, chopped English spinach or kale at the end.
the creamy broth and pasta
Here’s what you need for the creamy chicken soup broth.
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Pasta – I like to use short cut angel hair pasta (featured in the video) which is literally just short broken pieces of angel hair pasta (sold alongside regular pasta, the same price). I like it because it cooks quickly (less than 5 minutes) and is easy to scoop up with a spoon. Alternatively, just break angel hair pasta or spaghetti by hand (I used spaghetti in the photos), or other small pasta like risoni/orzo, ditalini, star shaped pasta etc. Just be prepared to cook a little longer if you use a thicker pasta.
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Milk – Use full fat if you can, though low fat works fine too. Non-dairy neutral flavoured milks will work fine too, as long as they don’t split when simmered on the stove (I haven’t tried so can’t say with certainty which will and won’t work).
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Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. This, plus the starch in the pasta, is what thickens the soup to make it a bit creamy. We don’t need cream. I promise you won’t miss it in this soup!
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Butter – We need this to cook the vegetables and so there is enough fat to make a roux (fat + flour) which is what thickens the soup. If you don’t have enough fat when making a roux, you will end up with gazillions of pesky little flour lumps in your soup.
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Chicken stock/broth – This is the cooking liquid to make the soup broth. We also use some water. You will be surprised how much liquid is absorbed by the pasta! So we need to start the soup with a lot of liquid to end up with the right amount and soup thickness at the end.
crunchy mini croutons
You can use any bread for croutons. Lighter bread, such as regular sandwich bread, makes croutons that are a little more delicate so they will lose crunchiness faster once sprinkled onto soups than croutons made from sturdier, chewier bread like sourdough. The bread shown below is a stone-baked loaf from the grocery store that falls between these two types.
The oil is to make the croutons crunchy and just a pinch of salt is essential!
How to make creamy chicken noodle soup
As mentioned above, we start by cooking bacon in the pot then the chicken in the bacon fat, then the broth benefits from the fond (ie golden stuff) left on the base of the pot. This is what makes this an extra great soup recipe!
1. Crunchy mini croutons
I get the croutons in the oven first then I start cooking the bacon and chicken while the croutons are baking.
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Croutons – Toss the bread cubes in a little oil and salt. Then bake for 8 – 10 minutes at 180°C/3450°F (160°C fan-forced) until golden and fully crisp. Note: sandwich bread will toast faster, chewier breads like sourdough can take a little longer to go fully crisp.
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Baked and crunchy!
2. CRISPY BACON BITS
You don’t need oil to cook bacon if you use streaky bacon (ie streaked with fat). Then you can use the fat to cook the chicken – free flavour!
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Cook bacon – Place the bacon in an un-heated pot over medium high heat. As the pot heats up, it will melt the bacon fat. Initially, the bacon may get a bit stuck to the pot but once golden it will self-release.
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Chop bacon – Let the bacon drain on paper towels. It will crisp up as it cools. Chop it up then set aside (we’re garnishing the soup with it).
3. BACON-FAT SEARED CHICKEN
Don’t worry if the chicken is a bit undercooked when you chop it up. The small pieces of chicken will finish cooking in a flash when it’s added back into the hot soup broth.
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Cook the chicken in the bacon fat for 1 1/2 minutes on each side.
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Chop – Remove, cool for a few minutes then chop into small cubes. (Think – spoon scooping size).
4. THE CREAMY NOODLE SOUP
OK, croutons, chicken and bacon done. Now onto the soup!
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Soup broth flavour base – Melt the butter and cook the onion, carrot, celery and thyme sprigs for 5 minutes or until the carrot is soft and sweet. These vegetables form the flavour base for this soup broth so don’t shortcut or skip this step!
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Creamy broth – Add the flour and cook for 1 minute (removes the flouriness). Then while stirring, slowly pour the milk in (this technique prevents lumps). Next, add the chicken stock, water, corn and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavours meld.
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Pasta – Add the broken angel hair pasta and cook for 5 minutes. (Note: the packet will likely say the cook time is 2 minutes, but it takes longer in this creamy broth. Also, another note, it doesn’t seem like much pasta but don’t be tempted to add more else you will end up with a soup that’s too thick. I keep making this mistake – don’t fall for it!).
If using another type of pasta, just simmer for the time it takes for the pasta to cook, whether it’s 5 minutes or 15 minutes. If you lose too much soup broth or it thickens too much, just add a splash of extra milk or water towards the end.
Add the corn in with the pasta, then the chopped chicken and peas about halfway through the pasta cook time (including any chicken juices pooled in the bowl). Peas and corn are pre-cooked so just need to be reheated.
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Serve! Once the pasta is soft, ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the croutons and bacon, plus a pinch of parsley if you’re feeling fancy. Then devour!
After taking the photos you see in this post, I took leftovers to the team at RecipeTin Meals (RTM, my food bank) for their lunch. That’s our Chef JB in the photo below, slurping down the soup before he cracked the whip to get us back to packing 500 meals for the day!
We probably won’t make this soup as one of our meals at RTM because pasta bloats when left in the soup, and it’s logistically challenging to keep the pasta separated from the broth in a single container, as well as having little sachets for the bacon and croutons. Most of the meals we make are delivered cold, intended for re-heating at home. Our containers are even oven proof – and they are made from recycled material too, even the lids!
On the topic of transportation of this soup, leftovers and making ahead, see the FAQ section below in the snazzy new collapsable section. Thought it was a nice way of adding extra information into posts without cluttering it up with excessive detail, what do you think? – Nagi x
Creamy chicken noodle soup FAQ
Pour the soup into a colander to separate the broth from the pasta, chicken and vegetables. Then store the broth in a separate container from the pasta etc. Why? Because pasta sitting in liquid bloats and becomes overly soft because it continues to absorb liquid. And as a result, you also end up with less soup broth.
I know it’s annoying (more mess to wash up!😤), but it really is the best way if you want the soup to still be really good tomorrow (up to 3 days later!). I’ve done the thinking and tried alternatives, like cooking the pasta separately – see point below.
Cooking the pasta in the flavoured soup broth is something that makes this soup so tasty! This is because:
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the pasta absorbs the flavour of the broth; and
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the starch released by the pasta as it cooks thickens the soup broth to the perfect creamy consistency, without any help needed from our calorie-laden friend, cream.
If you cook the pasta separately, the broth will be thinner than ideal and the pasta itself won’t have flavour.
Once the broth is separated from the pasta etc, they can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or even freezer for 3 months.
I recommend keeping the garlic, onion, carrot and celery as they are aromatics that form the flavour base for the soup broth. However, you can substitute the corn and peas with other diced cook-able vegetables (capsicum/bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, celeriac or other root vegetables, and green beans come to mind). Or even frozen diced vegetable mix.
You could also stir through baby spinach, chopped English spinach or kale at the end.
Yes, any protein that is fairly thin and can be pan fried like the chicken can be used. Pork chops come to mind. Beef and lamb will also work but they wouldn’t be my first choice for a creamy white sauce like in this soup.
Chicken mince (ground chicken) would also work! Cook it up after cooking the bacon (add a little extra salt and pepper) then remove before proceeding with the recipe, adding it back later at the end (so it doesn’t overcook). I would probably also fry up the chicken mince with some herbs and spices, like 1/2 tsp of onion or garlic powder plus 1/2 tsp dried oregano or thyme (just to get extra flavour into the crumbly mince bits).
Watch how to make it
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Creamy chicken noodle soup with mini croutons
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Soup
Western
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
Instructions
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Croutons – Preheat the oven to 180°C/3450°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss the bread with the oil and salt. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway, until golden and fully crisp (some breads take longer eg sourdough). Cool on the tray, set aside.
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Season chicken – Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the salt and pepper.
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Crispy bacon – Place the bacon in a single layer in an un-heated, large pot. Turn the heat onto medium high then cook the bacon until golden on both sides (~2-3 minutes first side, 1 1/2 minutes second side). (Note 2). Remove bacon (leave fat in pot), drain on paper towels. It will crisp as it cools. Finely chop, set aside for garnish.
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Cook chicken – Using the same pot, still hot, cook the chicken in the tasty bacon fat for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until light golden. Remove the chicken onto a plate. Cool for 5 minutes then dice into small 8 mm / 1/3″ cubes. (Keep making the soup as it cools)
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Broth – Lower heat to medium high. In the same pot, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, thyme sprigs. Cook 5 minutes until the carrot is softened, stirring regularly (don’t let the onion brown). Add flour and stir for 1 minute. While stirring, slowly pour the milk in. Once the flour is dissolved, add the stock, water, corn and salt, then stir.
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Simmer – Turn the heat up to high and bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. (The soup will seem thin, it thickens up once the pasta is cooked. Trust the process!)
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Pasta – Turn the heat back up to high. Add the pasta and corn. Cook for 5 minutes or until pasta is soft, adding the peas and chicken (including any juices pooled) for the last 2 minutes of cook time.
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Serve – Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with bacon, croutons and a pinch of parsley. Eat!
Recipe Notes:
2. Cooking bacon – If you are using streaky bacon (ie bacon streaked with fat) you won’t need oil. As the pot heats up, the fat will melt so it cooks in its own fat. If you are using lean bacon, you’ll need a bit of oil.
3. Other vegetables – Feel free to substitute the corn and peas with other vegetables.
4. Making ahead / storing leftovers – Use colander to separate pasta, chicken and veg from the broth (pasta bloats and absorbs soup broth if left overnight). Once separated, keeps 3-4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. Don’t be tempted to cook pasta separately (read in post for why).
Nutrition per serving assuming 5 servings.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 462cal (23%)Carbohydrates: 42g (14%)Protein: 28g (56%)Fat: 20g (31%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 78mg (26%)Sodium: 956mg (42%)Potassium: 774mg (22%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 12g (13%)Vitamin A: 2628IU (53%)Vitamin C: 12mg (15%)Calcium: 228mg (23%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
The last five soups I’ve made this winter
Life of Dozer
He was showered yesterday and just felt uncomfortably clean. So he dealt with it on a patch of duck poo. As you do. (And so enthusiastically too!)
On a serious note though, he is doing so well! I’m finally in a comfortable(ish) routine making his new seniors food and about to get his blood tested to make sure he’s not lacking in any nutrition (I include a vitamin mix called Complete Me which helps fill gaps in his limited diet, recommended to me by SASH). That’s my biggest concern with homemade dog food – ensuring he has all the vitamins and minerals he needs.
He is used to his new routine of 30 minutes on his inclined digestion bed after each meal. Looking rather alert in the photo below, normally he is just snoozing (and who here would complain about a 30 minute nap after every meal! Not me!).
His energy levels and strength is a good sign that we’re on the right path! Here he is, last weekend at Bayview dog beach. 12 years old and going strong!
He’s wearing his Outward Hound Granby Splash dog life jacket – extra buoyant for an extra large dog! Love the front neck float for added support to keep his head above the water (he is at higher risk of water, food etc getting in his lungs due to his medical condition). Just gives me a peace of mind even if he swims far off shore!
Thank you as always for the up-beat and positive messages about Dozer. And to those who confess to only reading the Dozer section and not bothering with the recipe – I LOVE YOUR PRIORITIES!!! 😂 – Nagi x
