As soon as the weather cools off in the fall, I start to crave soup. Our easy chicken noodle soup is usually at the top of my list to make. The vegetables, chicken, and noodles all swimming in a warm flavorful broth is so comforting. To take the soup to another level of comfort we add dumplings, and not just any dumplings. Our grandma’s dumplings. The best ever. More on those later.
What can I add to my chicken soup to give it flavor?
When it comes to adding flavor to the soup it is all about the herbs. Fresh herbs are going to give the soup a stronger flavor, but the right amount and combination of dried herbs will still do the trick. Some herbs to try are thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, fresh garlic, parsley, chives, bay leaves.
We start by sautéing sweet onion and garlic in butter and olive which adds a depth of flavor to the soup. Be sure to allow the plenty of time for the soup to simmer so the broth can gain the most flavor. Seasoning the chicken after shredding and adding back to the soup will also add more flavor. We have perfected our easy chicken noodle soup recipe to be flavorful without taking away from the simplicity of classic chicken noodle.
Should I cook noodles separately for chicken soup?
Cooking the noodles separately is optional, but it will give them the best texture and flavor. By cooking them in a separate pot you can salt the water and stop cooking them once they are al dente. Unlike when you cook them in the soup they slowly turn to mush. If you prefer to cook everything in one pot you, do you, but just know the noodles will slowly get mushy. I do this sometimes also, as you can see in the photo above. The advantage to cooking the noodles in the broth is you can boil the soup and add the noodles and dumpling as the same time and then it truly makes it a one pot meal. If you do opt for cooking them separately, wait to cook the noodles until just before you are ready to serve the soup. Spoon the noodles into each bowl and ladle the soup over top. Doing this also allows you to customize your noodle to broth ratio.
How to make dumplings
Homemade chicken noodle soup with dumplings was one of my favorite things my grandma would make. I never make chicken noodle soup without dumplings. They add another level of texture and comfort to the soup. My grandma’s recipe for them is so simple and requires minimal ingredients. Simply combine milk, egg, salt and a splash of cream in a bowl and add flour until the batter becomes thick. Drop into simmering broth and cook until they float to the top. That’s it! You can find the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Easy Chicken Noodle Dumpling Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 T butter
- 1 T olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 medium carrots sliced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 8-10 cups chicken stock
- 3 chicken breasts (or about 1.5 pounds)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3/4 pkg Reame's frozen egg noodles
Dumplings
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cream
- 1 1/2-2 cups flour
Instructions
- 1) Melt butter in large pot and add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer until fragrant.
- 2) Move the vegetables to one side of the pot and add the olive oil on the opposite side. Allow oil to heat for a minute over medium heat. Sear the chicken until browned on both sides. About 3 minutes per side.
- Add 8 cups of the broth. thyme, and leaves. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove bay leaves and thyme sprig. Shake thyme to allow loose leaves to fall into the soup. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred.
- While shredding the chicken cook the noodles in a separate pot and drain. Add the chicken back to the soup, turn up the heat to bring the soup to a boil, and prepare the dumplings. Add more broth to the soup if needed.
Dumplings
- Combine the dumpling ingredients in a medium bowl and stir in flour until a thick dough forms. This will take between 1 1/2 and 2 cups of flour.
- Drop by spoonful into boiling soup. Dumplings will float to the top when done. To serve scoop desire amount of noodles into a bowl and ladle soup over the noodles. Enjoy!
