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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My husband and I both have terrible colds and this soup literally warmed our souls. I couldn’t find ditalini so I used elbow macaroni and it was awesome.
I literally just made this right now. It is SO GOOD! I love the brightness from the lemon. I’m going to make this all winter!
Excellent! Each flavor bursts through and the aroma fills the house. Perfect for a cold, rainy day.
This is perfect for the cold weather. Thanks
It’s a myth that cold weather makes us sick (likely Chungha caught something on the plane or in the stadium) but the healing powers of chicken soup have certainly been proven. And the deliciousness of this recipe have definitely been validated by my family. My son came down with a sore throat and sniffles, and this soup was just what the doctor ordered! He loved it and was happy to eat two servings at lunch and dinner. I would suggest that cooks add your lemon juice a bit at a time as lemoni-ness is very subjective and sizes of lemons vary so much. My son thought it was way too lemony so I just added more chicken broth. We all loved it and will be making it again soon – colds or not.
I made this recipe last night, no changes, it was perfect and delicious! TOP NOTCH! THANKS!!
This was SERIOUSLY delicious and just what my fiancé needed as we’ve both had the sniffles the past few days. Only things I did different was using bone broth and adding a tsp of turmeric. But other than that followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfect. Definitely keeping this bookmarked for the next time we get sick. 🙂
Man that was good soup. I added a little more garlic and a little more Ginger and enjoyed it very much. I will make this again
It was so delicious and cosy. Thank youuuu ❤️
I love it. I was super liberal with garlic, lemongrass and ginger. Lemon juice is a must! I also shook some cayenne pepper at the end.
My gosh!! What an EXCELLENT recipe !!!! And you know what … no one had one bit of of indegestion maybe the ginger???? I
used chicken bone broth and juice from my boiled chicken leg quarters.
It’s been raining all day and super gloomy and I found this recipe on Pinterest because I wanted cozy comfort food. It certainly did not disappoint. I served it with a side of toasted challah bread points and we were all so comforted by this amazing soup. I love the fresh ingredients and flavor combinations.
Delicious! Partner and I where not feeling great from the flu and after this we honestly feel so much better! Even my 17m old daughter loved it!
This is terrific! I am so glad I doubled the batch! Thanks for the recipe!
I altered the recipe by adding brown rice instead of noodles.
I’ve never made Chicken Soup with ginger, and lemongrass – it’s so tasty! Thank you
The best chicken soup I’ve ever made.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
I agree 100% with what everyone has said. Perfect chicken soup recipe. Adding it as my go-to chicken soup recipe. Thanks for posting and GO GIANTS!!
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s so easy and turns out perfect every time. Hubby & I love it
I love this soup. My mother never likes my soups, but she loved this soup. She said that I didn’t give her enough. She wanted seconds, and my daughter ate a big bowl of it too. We loved it.
This is the BEST chicken soup I’ve made! Hubby also found it delicious which is great because he’s fighting a cold and I wanted to make him something nice. Thank you so much for this recipe! It will definitely be made on repeat.