Description
A comforting and creamy chicken noodle soup featuring tender chicken breast, fresh vegetables, and broken angel hair pasta, topped with crispy bacon and crunchy mini croutons for added texture and flavor. This hearty soup is perfect for a cozy meal and takes about 40 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Meat
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small, cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks; boneless thighs can be substituted)
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
Vegetables and Herbs
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 sprigs thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme (optional)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped (~0.5 x 1.2 cm / 1/5 x 1/2″ pieces)
- 1 carrot, chopped (0.5 x 1 cm / 1/5 x 1/2″ pieces)
- 3/4 cup corn kernels (frozen thawed or canned drained)
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Dairy and Liquids
- 30g/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cups milk (full fat preferred, low fat or non-dairy alternative acceptable)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 2 cups water
Pantry
- 4 tbsp flour
- 1 1/3 cups (100g) broken angel hair pasta (or broken spaghetti or other small spoon-able pasta)
- 1 cup bread, crustless, cut into 7mm / 1/4″ cubes (sourdough or regular sandwich bread)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cooking salt
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (for chicken)
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
- Pinch cooking salt / kosher salt (for croutons)
Instructions
- Prepare Croutons & Crispy Bacon: Preheat the oven to 180°C/345°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss the bread cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread them on a baking tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and crisp. Let cool on the tray and set aside. For the bacon, place the strips in a single layer in a cold large pot. Heat over medium-high and cook until golden on both sides (about 2-3 minutes the first side, 1.5 minutes the second). Remove and drain on paper towels. Once cooled, finely chop and set aside for garnish.
- Season Chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tbsp black pepper evenly.
- Cook Chicken: Using the same pot with the bacon fat still hot, cook the chicken pieces for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until they turn light golden. Remove the chicken onto a plate and once cool enough to handle, chop into small 8mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Build the Soup Base: Lower heat to medium-high. In the same pot, melt the unsalted butter. Add diced onion, minced garlic, chopped celery, carrot, and thyme sprigs if using. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until vegetables soften but onion remains pale and doesn’t brown.
- Add Flour and Milk: Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a roux. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring to dissolve the flour, avoiding lumps.
- Add Liquids and Seasoning: Pour in the chicken stock, water, and add 1 tsp cooking salt. Stir well and bring the mixture up to a simmer over high heat.
- Simmer Soup: Reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will be thin now but will thicken as the pasta cooks.
- Cook Pasta and Vegetables: Increase heat to high again. Add broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels and cook for about 5 minutes until pasta is tender. During the last 2 minutes, stir in frozen peas and chopped chicken along with any pooled juices to heat through.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls and generously sprinkle with crispy bacon pieces, freshly baked croutons, and a pinch of finely chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy your creamy chicken noodle soup!
Notes
- For the chicken, boneless thighs can be used instead of breast if preferred; adjust cooking time as thighs may need slightly more time.
- For croutons, sourdough bread tends to give a crunchier texture, but standard sandwich bread works well too.
- The soup thickens as the pasta cooks, so the initial thin consistency is expected.
- Using full-fat milk creates a creamier soup, but low-fat or non-dairy milk alternatives are fine.
- Low sodium chicken stock is recommended to better control salt levels in the dish.
