# Chicken Noodle Soup

Golden chicken noodle soup from bone-in thighs in under an hour, finished with dill, parsley and lemon.

- Total time: 57 min (one cook, steps overlapped; 1 hr 4 min if done strictly in order)
- Hands-on time: 27 min
- Serves: 4
- Method: Noodles in the pot (also available: Noodles on the side)
- Difficulty: easy
- Source: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/chicken-noodle-soup

## Ingredients

### Soup

- 2 tbsp olive oil. Substitutes: unsalted butter (Richer, rounder broth)
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth. Substitutes: homemade chicken stock (Richer body. Taste before adding salt); water plus 2 tsp chicken bouillon (Thinner and saltier, so season at the end with care)
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme. Substitutes: dried thyme (A little more muted, nothing to fish out)
- salt and pepper, to taste

### Chicken

- 1 1/2 lb bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed. Substitutes: bone-in chicken breasts (Leaner and milder. Keep the simmer gentle so they stay juicy)

### Noodles

- 4 oz wide egg noodles. Substitutes: ditalini or other small pasta (Holds its shape better in leftovers, may need a few extra minutes)

### Herbs and lemon

- 2 tbsp fresh dill (optional)
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 lemon wedges (optional)

## Steps (in the fastest order for one cook)

1. [0:00] **Chop** (Soup): Dice 1 yellow onion, thinly slice 2 carrots and 2 stalks celery, and mince 3 cloves garlic. _(8 min, hands-on, critical path)_
2. [0:08] **Soften** (Soup): Cook the onion, carrots and celery in 2 tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp kosher salt, stirring often, until softened. Stir in the garlic for the last minute. _(8 min, hands-on, medium, critical path)_
3. [0:16] **Simmer** (Soup): Add 1 1/2 lb bone-in chicken thighs, 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 bay leaf and 4 sprigs fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, then simmer partly covered until the chicken is very tender. _(30 min, hands-off, high, then low, critical path)_
   - At 8 min in: Once it boils, turn it down to a gentle simmer and skim off any foam
4. [0:16] **Chop** (Herbs and lemon): Chop 2 tbsp fresh dill and 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley. _(2 min, hands-on)_
5. [0:46] **Shred** (Chicken): Lift the thighs onto a board and shred the meat with two forks. Discard the bones. _(5 min, hands-on)_
6. [0:46] **Cook** (Noodles): Stir 4 oz wide egg noodles into the simmering soup and cook until tender. _(7 min, hands-off, medium, critical path)_
   - At 3 min in: Stir so the noodles don't clump
7. [0:53] **Finish** (Soup): Discard the bay leaf and thyme stems. Return the chicken to the pot, stir in the herbs and 1 tbsp lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. _(2 min, hands-on, critical path)_
8. [0:55] **Serve** (Soup): Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with 4 lemon wedges. _(2 min, hands-on, critical path)_

## Graph

Each step lists the steps that must finish before it starts.

- chop (can start immediately)
- soften after chop
- simmer after soften
- shred after simmer
- noodles-pot after simmer
- herbs (can start immediately)
- finish after shred, noodles-pot, herbs
- serve after finish

## Notes

- Thighs with skin? Grip the skin with a paper towel and it pulls right off. Skinless thighs keep the broth clean.
- Planning leftovers? Cook the noodles on the side and store them separately so they don't soak up the broth.
- Low-sodium broth usually needs another 1/2 to 1 tsp salt. Add the lemon first, then taste.

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Recipe graph by Dagwood (https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com). Licensed CC BY 4.0. JSON graph: https://dagwood.blrbdigital.com/r/chicken-noodle-soup.json