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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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.
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!!