Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Soup is my favorite fall food. I always make our easy chicken noodle broth first. Having vegetables, noodles, and chicken in a flavorful broth is so comforting. We add dumplings to the soup, but not just any dumplings. Our grandma’s dumplings. The best dumplings ever. Later, I will discuss these.

What can I put in my chicken soup to make it more flavorful?

Herbs are the key to adding flavor to the soup. The fresh herbs will give your soup a more robust taste, but using the right combination and amount of dried herbs can still work. Try thyme. Garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh garlic are also good. Parsley, chives, and bay leaves.

Start by sautéing garlic and sweet onion in butter, which gives the soup a rich flavor. Allow the soup plenty of time to simmer so that the broth can get the best taste. The soup’s flavor can be enhanced by seasoning the chicken before shredding it and adding it back. Our easy chicken noodle recipe is flavorful but not at the expense of simplicity.

Do I need to cook the noodles separately when making chicken soup?

It is unnecessary to cook the noodles separately, but doing so will improve their texture and taste. You can add salt to the water when you cook them separately and stop once they reach al dente. They will not turn into mush if you cook them with the soup. You can cook all the ingredients in one pot, but be aware that they will become mushy. As you can see from the picture above, I also do this occasionally. If you cook the noodles with broth, boiling the soup simultaneously by adding the dumplings and noodles is easier. Wait to cook the noodles just before serving the soup if you decide to cook them separately. Pour the noodles into each bowl, then spoon on the soup. This allows you to adjust the ratio of broth to noodles.

How to make dumplings

My grandmother’s homemade chicken noodle with dumplings soup was one of my favorites. I will only make chicken-noodle soup with the dumplings. The dumplings add a new level of comfort and texture to the soup. The recipe my grandma uses is simple and only requires a few ingredients. Combine the milk, eggs, salt, and cream in a large bowl. Add flour to thicken. Drop the fried eggs into the simmering broth, and cook them until they rise to the top. That’s it! The full recipe is in the recipe card.

Instructions

Melt butter and add celery, carrots, and onion to a large pot. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 30 seconds more.

Place the vegetables on one side of the pan and add the oil to the other side. Oil should be heated for one minute on medium heat. The chicken should be seared until both sides are browned—about 3 minutes on each side.

Add 8 cups broth. Thyme and leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme stem. Shake the thyme so that loose leaves fall into the soup. Remove the chicken and shred it.

As you shred the chicken, cook the noodles separately in a pot and drain. Add the chicken to the soup and bring it to a rolling boil. Prepare the dumplings. If needed, add more broth to your soup.

Dumplings

Mix the ingredients for the dumplings in a large bowl. Add flour and mix until a doughy consistency is achieved. It will require between 1 1/2 to 2 cups of flour.

Drop spoonful by spoonful into boiling soup. When done, dumplings will rise to the surface. Pour the desired amount of noodles into a bowl, then ladle the soup over them. Enjoy!