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!
Featured Comment
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.
Video
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Best chicken noodle soup recipe ever. Used chicken breast instead of thighs, came out great.
The chicken in the picture looks like chicken breast. The recipe calls for thighs. So you add the thighs in whole cook then remove and shred? I’ve no doubt it will be good but I was a little thrown off by the photo.
The chicken in the pictures is in fact chicken thighs. Thanks for checking though!
OH my stars!! Best tasting soup ever. You always always have such great tasting recipes. Thanks for sharing your talent.
So easy, so good! Followed directions exactly (lemongrass from squeeze bottle) and just tweaked broth flavor to our personal taste. My new go to chicken soup recipe!
Great!
The photos of the soup look delicious! I haven’t yet made the soup, but I hope to make it soon!
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Really tasty.
I made this 3 days ago, ate all of it in 2 days & am still craving more! This is by far the best chicken soup I’ve ever made. The combination of the fresh spices with the lemongrass & lemon is so flavorful. I beat/bruised two lemongrass stalks (removed before eating) & used orzo pasta, simmered an hour, otherwise stuck to your recipe. Amazing!
Thank you for sharing! So happy to hear you enjoy this one!
I can’t wait to make this soup! I’m going to use coconut oil instead of olive oil since coconut oil has many healing qualities. Also going to add some turmeric.
Can’t wait!!
Amazing! I’ve made it 2 times already in a month..getting ready to make it again since my littlest one is sick and wants her feel better soup. I haven’t used lemon grass yet. I have substituted lemon zest for that. I just need to look a little harder for lemon gras in this small town.:)
We hope your family feels better soon!
I’m only able to find lemon grass at a small Asian grocery store in my town. However, a handful of bigger grocery stores sell it as a paste (near the mined garlic in the produce section). Not quite as flavorful but so much easier! Also, I’ve made this soup twice in the last month and it is going on the weekly rotation until Spring. So good!
Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
I love Young Living oils; they have a “vitality” Lemongrass oil (I believe FDA OK’d) that I used to substitute when I made the recipe. I used one drop and decided for my taste I wanted one more drop. Just be very careful that you pay attention when adding to soup, more than two would ruin the soup I think. Hope this information helps and if you order, please order from a Young Living consultant otherwise you cannot guarantee what you are getting.
I made this soup yesterday. I used frozen egg noodles instead, just because that’s what I had. My husband said it’s the best soup he’s ever had. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
We’re happy you liked it!
Yum, yum delicious. I made this for my wife who has a cold. She ate two bowls and is feeling great now! Definitely a keeper. Made as described but without the lemongrass, could not find any at the local store.
This soup was delicious and so easy to make! I’ve had a bad cold all weekend and it definitely made me feel better. Thanks for the great recipe!
We’re glad you’re feeling better!
My kids acteally like this soup when sick. ( one of mine is a picky eater). The only thing different that I do is I slow cook this recipe in a crock pot because normally every one is sick at the same time at my house and when im sick the last thing I want to do is stand in frount of a stove.
Thanks for sharing!
Soooo gooood!! I will never make another chicken soup recipe again! I couldn’t find whole lemongrass stalks, but I could find the squirt tube of lemongrass in the herb section of product department.
Great! Thanks for sharing, Patty.
So delicious and unlike any chicken soup recipe I’ve tasted! I made for my sick hubby after googling “best chicken soup for a cold.” I loved all the ingredients that are recommended when fighting a cold, and after tasting it, I had to eat it too! Oh my, so good! I threw in a dash of turmeric and used orzo. Thank you!
Wow, first time I have felt the need to make a review…delicious! Followed recipe for the most part, cut a few corners with garlic paste, ginger paste and added chopped onion greens, chopped parsley and a few shakes of cayenne pepper at the end. Not sure my cold is cured but it is the best soup EVER!
We hope you feel better soon! Thanks for sharing.
I made this tonight. My husband and son are both fighting colds. I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken. It was really good and we all loved it, but I’m glad I, as the one preparing it, am not ill because it is labor intensive to prepare just to get things ready to go in the pot! I am still giving 5 stars because the flavor was great, but I’m definitely going to shortcut some things next time.
Thank you for your feedback! Hope your family feels better soon!
Excellent recipe! So easy, fragrant and tasty. I’m going to make it again to freeze for when cold season hits our house.
Didn’t have a cold but it looked so warm and cozy that I decided to make it over the weekend. I believe I made it almost exactly as written and it was delicious!! Thank you, my favorite type of chicken noodle soup.
Hi Chungah!
Do you have nutrition info for this one? Thanks!
Nutritional information is provided only for select and some new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
Love you recipes and your one of the only food blogs where the recipes always turn out and are delicious! I was wondering could I use ground ginger. I want to make some but don’t want to go to the store??
Yes, absolutely!
Yum!
I love that there are so few ingredients! I may make these.
This soup is terrific and even picky eaters get on board! I wonder, do you have the nutritional information for it? Thank you!