Cold Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Best tasting broth, soup is damn delicious.
So good. I will say it was a bit messy trying to grind/chop the garlic/ginger/lemon grass but it was worth it. I am currently under the weather and this soup was just what my body needed. I was sweating from the worth/heat of the soup and the broth taste was DELICIOUS. Great recipe-
My favorite chicken soup for a cold or no cold! Has anyone tried a GF noodle or rice as pasta sub?
Quite labor intensive but very good. Lemon was a little much though. Next time I may cut it down or leave it out.
Lovely and easy, thanks so much for the recipe. I didn’t have a cold but I was struggling to hold down food today, this was the first meal that had filled and stayed in my belly! Thank you.
I was very sick the other day, my spouse and I. I automatically thought we have COVID… I made this soup along with a immunity boosting tea!!!!! I FEEL 93% better, and so does he!!! Thanks for this recipe!!!
A big thank you from Australia for this recipe! I was really sick one weekend and craving a hearty chicken noodle soup – this has so many amazing flavours and really hit the spot. I didn’t manage to get the lemongrass or bay leaves, and just used dried thyme and rosemary from jars but still turned out incredible. Can’t wait to make this again (adding all the proper ingredients)!!
1st time making a chicken soup that wasn’t a cream base. This was lovely.
My husband said it was the best chicken noodle soup I have made before, thanks for the recipe!
So delicious,
Have been trying to find something aromatic hearty and warming for the past few weeks and this hit the spot! Can’t wait until I have it again. I found the inclusion of lemongrass and ginger added so much flavour without overpowering the rest of the subtle soup and made me feel like I could fight off any cold or flu. I hadn’t read this blog before but look forward to finding more recipes in future.
This soup was a total lifesaver. Both kids became sick the day my husband was scheduled for surgery. We couldn’t cancel it. So I had to drag them to the hospital. Thankfully it was a small short procedure. When we got home I made this chicken noodle soup, it was a big hit. The most my kids had eaten in a few days. Then, two days afterward, once my children were better, I was still caring for my husband post-op. And I caught my kids illness. I was in tears I was so mad. Two sick kids for a week. One temporarily disabled husband. And now I am sick while my husband is still in recovery. If there was ever a time to be ill, not was NOT the time. Thankfully, I had plenty of this soup leftover and I almost cried when I remembered it in the fridge. So I’m currently banished to my bed, cup of soup in hand (I put mine in a mug for easy eating), and watching National Geographic. I hate being sick with ever fiber of my being, what mother doesn’t?! But this soup has made a very very long week/weekend a bit less horrible. I’ve sent the recipe to everyone I know. And Pinterest. Thank you for this recipe!
I made this recipe as written except I substituted chicken breast for the chicken thighs. It was absolutely delicious. My favorite chicken noodle soup ever.
Amazing! The lemon makes it perfect! Whole family loved it!!
I was so skeptical about ginger and lemon in chicken noodle soup but I’m so glad I tried it! My bf is so sick and I know ginger helps so much with colds. It’s awesome! I left out the salt and used low-sodium broth. But put more garlic in it. There are so many flavors in this that it really doesn’t need the salt. I also used those frozen egg noodles and they thickened it up a little on their own. I’m def saving this recipe!
Delicious! I didn’t add the lemon and bought the chives but forgot to add them haha. This soup is really simple, but a nice spin on chicken soup due to the grated ginger. Very yummy!
I made this for my husband who has come down with a cold and having a loss of appetite. He loved it! (We both did). I doubled the recipe to have leftovers, but used elbow pasta. We also dipped torn pieces of a sourdough bread, which enhanced the delightful lemon flavor. The fresh herbs from our garden made this soup wonderfully aromatic and healing. Thank you for the recipe!
So yummy!
I’ve made this for my sick girlfriend. Typically, she’s picky, but she loved this chicken noodle recipe. She was sick, I was bored, and love to cook. So win, win chicken dinner. I would definitely rate this a five star rating. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Hope the rest of you enjoy it too. Cheers!
This a good receipt. I would highly advice not to put in a full amount of lemon. For me it was great tasting Proerty to the lemon add. With the lemon it become over powered with lemon taste. Next time I will for go the lemon.
Good luck.
Ken
Just made this tonight for my husband who’s fighting a cold. Used a combination of no salt and regular chicken stock to reduce the sodium content a bit since he has high blood pressure issues but still very good! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you for sharing, it took the basic chicken noodle soup to another level. I loved the ginger in there.