Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is hearty, savory comfort food. Perfect for a weeknight meal. Easy to make with simple ingredients.
Traditional homemade chicken noodle soup contains carrots, celery, and egg noodles.
I prefer mixed vegetables, spaghetti or linguine instead of egg noodles.
Thankfully, you can use whatever you prefer. Exactly why I love this recipe. Easy to adjust!
Super easy to make! Perfect during cold weather. Pairs well with a big green salad.
What are cumin seeds?
Cumin is a spice made from the dried seed of a plant known as Cuminum cyminum, which is a member of the parsley family. This spice has a pleasant nutty flavor.
Cumin seeds are harvested by hand from an annual plant; they are small, boat-shaped, and resemble caraway seeds. The most common variety of cumin is a brownish-yellow color, although you can also sometimes find black cumin, green cumin, and white cumin. The seeds hold flavor longer than ground cumin. Source: SpruceEats.com
Homemade chicken broth is made by boiling chicken quarters in water seasoned with bay leaves, cumin seeds, salt and black pepper.
What’s the difference between dark meat chicken and white meat chicken?
Dark meat cuts have more iron. They come from muscles using more oxygen. The iron is held in a protein called myoglobin, which gives it the darker color. White meat cuts come from muscles that metabolize energy with less oxygen, so they have less myoglobin and are lighter in color.
Source: BestFoodFacts.org
Plus, a splash of Liquid Smoke (optional) provides a tasty smoky flavor.
What is the difference between chicken broth and chicken stock?
How To Read & Follow A Recipe
Reading a recipe is an important life skill. It starts with knowing how to read a recipe’s ingredients, follow the instructions, prep ingredients, and knowing what equipment to use.
The following tips and strategies will help beginners or experienced cooks create a delicious dish as intended in the recipe.
Start with clean hands and organized kitchen. Wash hands thoroughly. Make sure kitchen and countertops are clean before making a recipe.
Create a relaxing environment. Play favorite music while in the kitchen. I love listening to classical or gospel music.
Read the recipe. Don’t just quickly skim it. Thoroughly read from start to finish. Visualize doing each step which will help you avoid missing a step.
If you see ingredient that you and your family don’t use for whatever reason, use a substitutions or omit the ingredient.
My recipes are packed with helpful tips like shortcuts and serving sizes which save time and help with meal planning.
Pay attention to the order in which ingredients are prepped. For example, 1 cup of chopped pecans is not the same as pecans, chopped (measure whole pecans and then chop).
Know the assumptions. For example, when my recipe calls for “sugar,” use granulated sugar. If brown sugar is an ingredient, it will be written as such in the recipe.
Figure out the timing. Check the listed “prep time” and “total time” to be sure you have enough time to complete the recipe.
Look for hints, such as the words “meanwhile” or “at the same time,” which indicate two or more steps can happen simultaneously.
For example, my prep time doesn’t include bringing cold butter up to room temperature. Be sure to include in your timetable.
Watch Recipe Videos. If you’re a visual learner (like me), watch recipe videos. Perfect for when you’re learning a new skill or just want to see how a recipe is made.
Mise en place is a super time saver. This French cooking term translates as “putting in place.” It means prepping/measuring ingredients and chopping food before you start cooking. It’s the perfect way to get organized and avoid missing an ingredient or missing a step in the instructions.
Organize your tools and kitchen equipment. Mise en place isn’t just for ingredients. Before starting, make sure you have parchment paper, aluminum foil, measuring cups, measuring spoons, the right pans, mixing bowls, and other equipment.
Make notes in your recipe. Note any special prep instructions and highlight cooking times. Make note of ingredients omitted, favorite substitutions and creative twists. The notes will be very helpful the next time you make this recipe.
Enjoy!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 4 chicken quarters, skin removed Leg and thigh attached.
- 6 cups water Or enough to cover chicken thighs in boiler.
- 2 each Bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds Not cumin powder.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups mixed vegetables, frozen Use more or less as preferred.
- 1 pound linguine, uncooked Or use spaghetti noodles.
- 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (not margarine)
Instructions
- Place chicken quarters (skin removed), water, bay leaves, cumin seeds (not cumin powder), salt, and black pepper in a large pot.
- Simmer over medium heat until chicken is solid white and meat falls off bones. This will take 45 minutes or 1 hour.
- Check regularly because water will get low before chicken is done. Add 2-1/2 more cups of water and continue simmering.
- While chicken is simmering, prepare linguine (or spaghetti noodles) according to instructions printed on package.
- Drain noodles and set aside.
- When chicken is done, remove from heat. Allow to cool 10 minutes.
- Remove chicken from pot and place in a large bowl. Carefully remove bones and gristle. Chop chicken into small pieces.
- Strain chicken broth. Discard whatever is left in strainer.
- Pour strained chicken broth back into pot. Add noodles, chopped chicken, frozen veggies and 1/2 teaspoon of Liquid Smoke.
- Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes OR until frozen vegetables are tender.
- Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted.
- Serve hot.
I’ve never thought about using a splash of liquid smoke in chicken noodle soup – what a great idea! I’ve been craving chicken noodle soup lately, so this post immediately jumped off the page at me. I’ll have to try this version out soon…it’s really, really cold up here today!
David, thank you for visiting my blog! This soup is perfect on a really cold day. Stay warm!