This comforting chicken noodle soup is made with spaghetti noodles and garnished with a generous amount of fresh parsley.
It’s rich in vitamins and minerals thanks to the variety of root veggies, potatoes and peppers that are added to the broth.
This possibly makes it quite effective at fighting off nasty viruses, boosting immunity and providing nutrition.
Chicken Noodle Soup With Spaghetti Noodles
Up until a couple of years ago, I was convinced that chicken noodle soup should only be made with regular noodles.
In fact, I was so stringent in my beliefs that I would rather go to the nearest grocery store when I was out of noodles, then use some of the pasta I had at home.
All of this changed after I got knocked up by a virus that forced me to stay at home for an entire week.
Out of regular noodles, sapped of energy and left with nothing but a few chicken thighs and some vegetables, I decided that it was time to swallow my pride and use the spaghetti I had in my pantry.
Much to my surprise, it turned out that this trick worked quite well and the spaghetti weren’t such a bad substitute after all.
I simply had to break them into pieces and cook them as I would when I’m boiling pasta.
Having said that, spaghetti aren’t the main ingredient that makes this recipe shine.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Chicken thighs – Chicken thighs contain dark meat which becomes more tender the longer it cooks. If you don’t want to bother cooking the thighs, you can simply use leftover or rotisserie chicken. I don’t recommend making the soup with white meat as it will dry long before the soup is finished.
- Spaghetti noodles – The spaghetti noodles in this recipe will work pretty much the same way standard noodles do. However, you’ll need to break them apart since they’re longer than noodles. You can also use leftover spaghetti or other types of pasta that are already cooked.
- Potatoes – Potatoes will make this soup more hearty, creamy and nutritious. Go for Yukons if you’re looking for a tender bite or red potatoes if you want some crunch.
- Root Vegetables – A few onions along with some carrots and celery will give this soup a nice aromatic punch. Feel free to add some finely chopped parsnip or a diced turnip if you’re a fan of root vegetables.
- Cubanelle Pepper – Don’t worry, Cuban peppers are only mildly hot so they won’t make the soup too spicy.
- Herbs – The only herb I’m using for this recipe is half a cup of finely chopped fresh parsley. Nevertheless, you can also use rosemary, oregano, basil or even freshly chopped dill.
- Lemon juice – A dash of lemon juice will enhance the flavor of the other ingredients in the soup and make the chicken more tender.
How to make
Check out the recipe card at the end of this article for detailed, step-by-step instructions.
Cover the chicken with water, then season it with salt and simmer for half an hour under a closed lid.
Keep an eye on the pot and reduce the heat if the water starts boiling. In this case boiling will give the chicken an awful texture and you don’t want that.
Remove the poached chicken from the pot once it’s done and set it aside.
In the meantime, fry the chopped onions and celery in a separate pot over medium heat.
Add the strained stock to the sauteed vegetables and pour the rest of the water. Bring the water to a boil, then add the carrots and Cubanelle pepper. Let them boil for 5 minutes and add the potatoes. If you add all the vegetables at once the potatoes will become overdone while the carrots become ready.
Cook until the potatoes become tender, then add the shredded chicken along with the spaghetti to the pot.
Let the soup cook for about 15 minutes, remove from the stove and set aside. It’s worth noting that the actual time it takes you to cook the spaghetti all the way through will depend on their brand.
Most popular brands such as Barilla have an average cooking time of about 9 minutes, but the ones I use typically require a few minutes more.
While the soup is resting, whisk the eggs in a small bowl and combine them with the lemon juice. The eggs will give the soup a nice silky texture and make the broth thicker.
Temper the egg mixture with some of the stock, then add it back to the soup while stirring vigorously.
Finish by adding the egg mixture and garnishing the soup with the parsley.
Storage
Chicken noodle soup is one of the tastiest ways to help you get through the common cold or a broken heart.
And since these ailments don’t go away that quickly, you’ll eventually need to store it in the refrigerator.
Fortunately, you can keep it there for up to three days which means that you’ll have a steady supply of comfort food until you recuperate.
If three days simply don’t cut it for you and you want to prep for the entire flu season, then you can store the soup in the freezer.
When it’s stored in the freezer, chicken noodle soup will stay good for about 3 months.
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Chicken Noodle Soup With Spaghetti Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs 15 oz
- 11 cups water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup carrots finely chopped
- 2 potatoes medium-sized, diced
- 1/2 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/3 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Cubanelle pepper finely chopped
- 1 tbsp salt
- 5 oz spaghetti broken into pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Place the chicken into a large soup pot or a Dutch oven and cover it with the water. Season the water with salt.
- Simmer the chicken under a closed lid for about half an hour.
- In the meantime, chop the carrots, pepper, onion, celery and potatoes.
- Take the boiled chicken out of the pot.
- In a separate pot, saute the onion and celery on medium heat until they become translucent.
- Strain the stock through a colander or a sieve, then add it to the vegetables along with 3 cups of water.
- Once the water comes to a boil, stir in the carrots and pepper. Wait for 5 minutes and then add in the potatoes.
- Debone the chicken thighs, take their skin off and shred them with a fork.
- Stir in the chicken once the potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Bring the water back to a boil and add the spaghetti.
- Simmer the soup for 15 minutes, then remove the pot from the stove and let the soup cool off for another 15 minutes.
- Beat the eggs with a wire whisk and combine them with the lemon juice.
- Temper the egg mixture with 3 ladles of the soup. Make sure you scoop up only liquid without any meat or vegetable bits.
- Vigorously stir the tempered broth back into the soup. If you simply pour it over, the soup will have an uneven texture.
- Finish the soup by sprinkling the chopped parsley on top.
Notes
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Nutrition
I do my best to provide you with the nutritional information for recipes but I'm not a certified nutritionist. The nutritional information provided should only be treated as an estimate since it will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.