Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup
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The most soothing, comforting soup for flu season! So easy to make, you’ll be feeling better in no time!
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As flu season is among us, this chicken soup has been an absolute god-send. 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 i love cold fighting chicken noodle soup
- Best kind of shortcut chicken soup that doesn’t require an entire chicken or hours of simmering
- Nourishing, brothy, soothing and satisfying even when I’m not sick
- Packed with so many cozy, healing, anti-inflammatory ingredients
- Amazingly freezer-friendly, perfect to have it ready to go next time I’m feeling under the weather
tips and tricks for success
- 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.
- 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.
more chicken noodle soup recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, 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.
If you cannot find fresh lemongrass, lemongrass paste will do wonders here.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Orzo, rotini or even elbow macaroni are great subs for the ditalini pasta.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked pasta when serving.
Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup
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
Equipment
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.
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I will be using this recipe over and over! I actually love cooking and chopping veggies and such, but out of necessity this time I did everything the easy way… shredded carrots, frozen chopped onions, pre-chopped celery, and tubes of ginger and lemongrass, jarred garlic, dried herbs Can’t imagine how much more I would’ve loved it if I did it the “right” way. I also added a TB of turmeric and 2-3 TB of nutritional yeast flakes (didnt measure). It’s amazing, came together fast And my husband with the flu is loving it.
When I’m sick, I typically go for canned chicken noddle soup. After trying this recipe, I won’t be buying another can again! It is so good and the flavors come together so well. As other reviewers suggested, I added some turmeric as well to boost the healing properties. Also, I used orzo since I already had a box in the pantry, and used the same quantity as the recipe stated for the other pasta shape. I found that the orzo absorbed a lot of the broth, so I added an additional cup of water to get it back to the brothy consistency I was looking for.
Excellent soup and very simple to make. Slight deviation on my part. This time I roasted and used a whole head of garlic in addition to using the cloves of garlic as called for in the recipe. But also perfect as written.
This was so YUM! So many flavors!
We are vegetarian, so instead of chicken, I used a can of white beans. It was delishhhhh!
Thanks for your recipe.
Made this delicious soup tonight for my husband who has the sniffles and a cough. It smelled great from the start and so darn good the hubby wanted seconds. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Really love this soup. I used bone broth and little star pasta. Super easy to put together once all the chopping is done. Thank you for the recipe!
This soup is SO, so good. I have a horrible cold and it’s exactly what i needed. Only downside is having to make it for myself because my husband (allegedly) can’t read a recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the recipe!! My husband and little ones are sick so made this for the entire house. My Grandmother said that it’s delicious! I used chicken breast because that’s what we had on hand, and did add potatoes and broccoli because I added too much water originally. definitely going to be a staple for when we are sick in this house! Love the wonderful aroma of flavors.
I made this tonight It is very good. Lots of flavors. I used my bone broth for the chicken broth called for. It was neat to see the soup come together. I am pleased that I had a good amount of collagen. That can be a little tricky sometimes. I will be using this easy recipe again.
I just had to say – this soup is so damn good that it’s hard to stop eating it! Thank you so much for sharing. <3
Utterly amazing soup! I have been feeling drained and after I made and ate this soup I am convinced I turned a corner. The ginger and combination of other ingredients makes for a delicious heart warming meal. My wife said, “Wow, this is amazing!”
Thank you for sharing the recipe and the play by play with us all. I absolutely love this best chicken soup I’ve ever tasted!
I think it’s pretty darn good. Wish I could have found lemongrass somewhere but couldn’t so I substituted the zest of a whole lemon. Same with the pasta, but what I did sub for that worked well too. Also had trouble finding thyme leaves so I got organic thyme hoping to pull the leaves off but that was just way too much work for this guy. So I just chopped it all up and it seems to work. I haven’t been able to taste anything for the past several days so the aroma and flavor of the lemon was very well appreciated. Now to test it on my sick wife.
Thanks for sharing, Al! We hope you both feel better soon!
First time I’ve actually been bothered to review a recipe (this recipe is definitely worth reviewing). This was fantastic . Having had a good dose of the flu for the last couple of days and not eating anything of any substance, I thought this might be right down my alley. After summing up the energy to shop and prep I made it as per the recipe and it turned out amazing. Will definitely be my go-to soup over the winter from now on. Thankyou very much
We love that!
Amazing soup! Made it for my 9y/o son and he loved it. He garnished his with avocado and I garnished mine with red pepper flakes!! So delicious
Yum! I specifically searched for a souped-up version of an old standby because my honey is sick…pun absolutely intended! I, too, added bone broth and turmeric, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Will be meaning again!
We hope the soup helped, Cat!
I’m not much of a cook but I was able to make this recipe for when my brother was sick. He loved it and even ate three bowls! Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe that’s easy for new cooks to follow!!
Amazing!
Perfection! I added a tablespoon of tumeric to boost the healing properties and subbed in bone broth and rice for my personal tastes. This is going to be my new go to for cold/flu season. Thank you!
A big bowl of healing goodness. Tastiest soup ever. Only substitution was 1tsp dried thyme instead of fresh as I dot have. Definitely a recipe to keep!
It’s definitely one of our favorites when we’re under the weather! 🙂
Best soup ever!
So delicious! I made two batches within 3 days because it was so yummy! I added a chilli and some finely blended kale to spice it up and add a little more veg to scar the nasty colds away! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Great additions, Emma!
This was wonderful! The lemon makes this recipe a shining star. I am saving this recipe for future reference. I did make a few changes based on what I had on hand. I used dried herbs rarher than fresh, and I had no broth so I used all water and added some Knorr seasoning. I think next time, I will use half an onion rather than the whole onion. I also used wheat pasta. The chicken I used was grilled already, so I chopped it and added it straight to the soup. Very convenient! Thanks for the great recipe.