Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced (~1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 6 carrots, sliced
- 3 cups wide egg noodles
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
Cooking and Seasoning Chicken
To make four thinner chicken pieces, slice through the thickest part of each breast horizontally. You can then season the pieces at once with all of the spices and olive oil by placing them in a bowl and tossing until they are well coated with the spices and oil.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Place all four breasts in the melted butter at the same time. Sear on one side until the bottom is nicely browned. Turn the chicken over and sear the other side until it is browned as well. The total time for cooking is approximately 4-5 minutes on each side.
The chicken is not fully cooked through at this point; it will finish cooking in the soup later.
Once you have finished cooking the chicken, remove it from the pot and allow it to cool on a cutting board.
Making the Soup Base
Sauté onions over medium heat until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth and water and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the flavorful browned areas at the bottom of the pot.
Add carrots to the pot, bring to a simmer, and keep simmering for 5 minutes while you remove the chicken from the cutting board, shred it, and return it to the pot.
Complete the Soup
After the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove it from the cutting board, shred it into bite-sized pieces using either your fingers or two forks.
Add the shredded chicken back into the pot with the wide egg noodles and continue cooking for approximately 10 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through and tender.
If using heavy cream in this recipe, you may stir it in during the last minute or two of cooking.
Using the heavy cream will give your soup richness and will thicken the soup slightly.
Taste your soup to see if you need to adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper) before serving.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts about 1.5 lbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 medium onion ~1 cup, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 6 carrots sliced
- 3 cups wide egg noodles
- 1/4 cup heavy cream optional
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts horizontally into four cutlets and season with oil and spices.
- Melt butter in large pot over medium heat and cook chicken 4-5 minutes per side until golden. Remove and set aside.
- Sauté onion in same pot 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add broth and water, scraping bottom of pot to release browned bits.
- Add carrots and simmer 5 minutes.
- Shred cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Add shredded chicken and egg noodles to pot. Simmer 10 minutes until noodles are tender.
- Stir in heavy cream during final 2 minutes of cooking.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
