Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup
by Chungah
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This cold fighting chicken noodle soup is the most soothing, nourishing soup for cold and flu season. It’s easy to make and freezer-friendly!
Featured Comment
As flu season is upon us, this chicken soup has been an absolute lifesaver. The veggies and garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lemon juice combo here does absolute wonders and has you feeling better and back on your feet in no time. It’s just so darn cozy and soothing, and it just warms your soul in so many ways.
why you’ll love this cold fighting chicken noodle soup
- Shortcut chicken noodle soup. This is the best kind of time-saving shortcut chicken soup that doesn’t require an entire chicken or hours of simmering, perfect for those busy weeknights or when you’re short on time.
- Soothing and reduces inflammation. Even when you’re not sick, the warm broth is incredibly nourishing, soothing and so satisfying, especially when your appetite is low, packed with so many cozy, healing, anti-inflammatory ingredients.
- Amazingly freezer-friendly. This soup is perfect to have stashed in the freezer ready for the next time you’re feeling under the weather, giving you the necessary fuel to fight off the virus and get you on your feet in no time!
How to make cold fighting chicken noodle soup
- Sauté the vegetables. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the aromatics. Stir in the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, thyme, and rosemary until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the liquids. Stir in the chicken stock, water and bay leaves.
- Simmer. Add the chicken and let it simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken and shred using two forks.
- Add the pasta. Stir in the pasta and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Return the chicken. Stir in the shredded chicken until the chicken is warmed through. Then add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve. Garnish with chives (or parsley) and serve warm with crusty bread.
pro tip
Planning ahead: cook the noodles separately for leftovers.
If you are planning for leftovers or freezing for later, cook and store the noodles separately.
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Yes! Add the shredded chicken towards the end of cooking time, letting the soup simmer until the chicken is warmed through.
Lemongrass paste will do wonders here.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. For example, the correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh thyme = 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
Orzo, rotini or even elbow macaroni are excellent substitutes for the ditalini pasta.
Yes! Freeze the leftovers without the pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags. Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring in freshly cooked pasta until warmed through.
Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¾ cup ditalini pasta
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, ginger, lemongrass, thyme and rosemary until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water. Add chicken and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken and shred, using two forks; set aside.
- Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in chicken and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.
Equipment
Notes
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Use ginger and lemongrass. Ginger and lemongrass are a powerhouse for colds. Both have anti-inflammatory properties, soothing sore throats and alleviating cold symptoms.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken. Leftover rotisserie chicken is one of the best shortcut hacks to speed up prep time and maximize leftovers. Shred or dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces, adding the chicken to the soup at the very end of cooking just until warmed through. Pro tip: save the carcass of the rotisserie chicken for homemade chicken stock!
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice will elevate your chicken noodle soup, adding a fresh, bright flavor and balancing out all the saltiness and richness of the soup.
- Freeze without the pasta. Freeze the leftover soup without the ditalini pasta in individual freezer bags for portioning and easy thawing overnight, reheating gently on the stovetop until warmed through and stirring in freshly cooked pasta just before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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Hi there!
Thanks for this lovely recipe – First time trying it. I feel like once I added the lemon juice, it really overpowered the soup and made it too acidicy. Beforehand, I could really taste all the flavours.
I used fresh lemon juice and added it after the cooked chicken. Is there something I did wrong? And is there a way to counteract the acidic flavour?
Thanks!
This is my go-to
Same here, especially when we’re feeling under the weather!
I made it for dinner tonight and added a dash of cayenne pepper wjich help break up mucus when you have a cold. My grandma used to make us homemade chicken soup when we were sick. I have never had it with ginger before and I really liked the asian flavor. Thanks for sharing this with us.
You are so welcome, Kelli! Hope you’re feeling better.
Fabulous. Made family feel better. Kids did not even know ginger was in it.
Wow! I don’t know how I can go back to regular chicken noodle soup after this. My husband said it’s god tier and one of the best soups I’ve made (and I make a lot of soups). Definitely going into the regular rotation!
LOVE your recipes! Can this recipe be adapted easily for the slow cooker?
Can I substitute lemongrass paste if I have no fresh
Absolutely!
My wife found this and we’ve been making it for the last several years. The only soup we make when someone is under the weather. For the record, just made it again tonight because big guy’s tummy wasn’t “feeling better”. Outstanding recipe. 10/10. Could not recommend enough
Great recipe we loved it thank you. We all were sick. We found it comforting and recovered 7
I tried this with some chillies and it was sooo delicious! Definitely recommended
This January, ALL 3 of us got the mutated super-flu. I was the last one to get it. Before I caught it, I found this recipe and looked no further as about a decade ago, I made some quick Korean beef recipe from this site and loved it. I made the soup and OMG. SOOO delicious! I only got to have maybe half a cup (I wanted to at least taste it!). By the time I got sick, there was no more and I was too ill to even think about cooking soup from scratch. Today is the end of the month. We’re all feeling better. But I’m going to make this soup again for ME. I will freeze it and add in the pasta later (those little baby pasta shells are perfect for this soup). Really fantastic recipe. I only had to sub lemongrass paste for fresh because I’m no longer in California and New Orleans grocery store produce sections are a little on the sparse side. At least they had the paste – yay!
Great recipe, I recommend leaving the lemon juice on the side and rather add to taste. 3 tbsp kinda ruins the beautiful umami and replaces the entire flavor with lemon.
I’ve made countless soup recipes, but this is the one that tops them all! It is so delcious! I didnt alter a thing, stuck with the recipe. My family all loved it. Its even yummier the next day. I totally think the fresh herbs make everything step up a notch in flavor yum!
Came out excellent! Love this recipe. What a fragrant and soothing soup. Made it for my dad who has a cold. Similar to another commenter, I added turmeric which pairs really well with the black pepper. Next time, I will boil the pasta separately so it doesn’t soak up so much broth.
Making it now for my husband almost to the end just have to shred the chicken and the flavor is already amazing
Fantastic! The lemon and lemon grass are really nice touches. I doubled the recipe and added a bit of whole wheat orzo (.5 cup) to the pot and it was lovely. My wife said it was the best soup she’s ever tasted.
My significant other has been feeling sick this week so yesterday I decided to make him this. It is absolutely delicious! The fresh herbs are exactly spot on! After 2 bowls he is feeling much better! Keeping this recipe for anytime we want it!
Made it tonight! Me likey! So did my family! 5 stars!
Made it tonight! Me likey! So did my family!
This is delicious and easy. I left out the onion and celery, didn’t have them, still yum. Made as given. I have a cold and cough and have been craving something hot, liquid and soothing. Am going to have this for the next two days, it just hits the spot. Thank you.