Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup
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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!
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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!
What is cold fighting chicken noodle soup?
This is a version of chicken noodle soup made with extra immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory ingredients to help relieve cold and flu symptoms. It’s a fast, one-pot comfort meal providing warm hydration and congestion relief, all while calming a sore throat with a soothing broth.
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. Pro tip: if you are planning for leftovers or freezing for later, cook and store the noodles separately.
- 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.
Tools For This Recipe
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.
Leftover rotisserie chicken is a huge time-saver! Add the shredded chicken towards the end of cooking time, simmering just until the chicken is heated 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
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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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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!
This is the best soup! I’ve been making it for about 5 years or longer. Especially in the summer/fall when the kids go back to school and start getting stuffy noses. My kids request it all year round!
The only thing I have started to add is fresh spinach when serving in bowls. Doesn’t do anything to the flavor I just like having that little bit of extra greens. We also like adding a sliced jalapenos to the individual bowls. The spinach and jalapenos are added toppings for us, but the original recipe is the only way I make 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.
Fantastic recipe, thank you! I’ve made it several times and it really does wonders…
Currently making this for my mum so she has some ready to go in the freezer if/when she’s sick and it smells great! Already thinking of when I can do the same for friends.
I’m still new to cooking so I have a bit of a silly question, when the recipe says bring to boil, does that mean bring to the boil at the same heat it was on at the start (medium heat) and then turn down lower when it is simmering OR turn the heat up to bring it to the boil and then reduce to the medium heat again? I’m scared I’m going to do it wrong and either overcook the chicken or give my mum food poisoning on accident.
Please help! Thank you!
Hi Irena.
There are no silly questions as you are learning to cook. I would turn the heat up after sauteing (on my stove to just below max – #9) to bring the mixture to a boil then lower it to allow the soup to simmer. Again, on my stove low would be #2 so that the mixture continues to boil gently.
Enjoy your cooking adventures.
Delicious soup! Will make again! Thank you for posting it.
Very good. Is there a substitute for lemongrass, which is very hard to find outside of large cities?
You can find lemongrass puree in a tube. Try Amazon or some where that can ship to you
Made this…so easy. I’ve been wanting a simple flavourful chicken soup recipe for years.
Finally found one. THANK YOU.
Made this for the first time early in the year and absolutely LOVED it! It was a hit in my family and among my coworkers. The fresh herbs, lemon and ginger are incredibly aromatic-the whole house smells amazing while making.
Thought about leaving the review because I originally forgot to and I just had a request for some more so I’m about to make it again!
Excellent! I was out of celery but my son came home with a cold and I substituted cabbage for the celery and it was still delicious. I’m really grateful to find this recipe to rely on when someone sick and when they’re not. Going into winter, it’ll be greatly appreciated.
My kids loved it.. so simple and delicious.
I made this the other day because I was out sick, and it was fantastic! I’ve made chicken soups for colds, but I’ve never made one with lemongrass, so I had to try it out (I love lemongrass!). I’m going to make another batch over the weekend, but I’m going to cook the pasta separately so it doesn’t soak up the broth while it cooks. I might also throw in some green onions and tofu (I love lemongrass tofu, and I figured tofu would make a good vegetarian protein alternative for this one). I’m definitely going to keep this recipe in my regular rotation.
Absolutely in love with this soup.
So easy to do. Chicken comes out soooo moist and filled with flavour. I did though ended up putting a little bit more garlic and ginger in (maybe doubled) coz we love though flavours… We loved every bite we had.
I absolutely loved making this! My house smells amazing! It was so easy too!
It tastes absolutely delicious!!
I made this soup a few weeks ago and am making it again tonight 🙂 It was sooo delicious.
One question – I didn’t have ditalini so I used white macaroni noodles and it absorbed so much liquid! Do you recommend a substitute for ditalini? Why does ditalini not absorb the water as much?
Cook the noodles in a separate pot of water and then add them with each serving. Any noodle will absorb the liquid in your soup.