Description
A comforting and creamy chicken noodle soup packed with tender chicken, fresh veggies, sweet corn, and angel hair pasta, topped with crispy bacon and crunchy homemade mini croutons. Perfect for a cozy meal that’s rich in flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning:
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small, cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks, substitute with boneless thighs if preferred)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
Bacon and Croutons:
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
- 1 cup bread (crustless, cut into 7mm / 1/4″ cubes – sourdough or regular sandwich bread)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Pinch cooking salt/kosher salt
Soup Base:
- 30g/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 onion (finely diced)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 2 sprigs thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme (optional)
- 2 celery stalks (chopped approximately 0.5 x 1.2 cm / 1/5 x 1/2″ pieces)
- 1 carrot (chopped approximately 0.5 x 1 cm / 1/5 x 1/2″ pieces)
- 3/4 cup corn kernels (frozen thawed or canned drained)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups milk (full fat recommended, low fat or non-dairy alternatives acceptable)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp cooking salt
- 1 1/3 cups (100g) broken angel hair pasta (or spaghetti broken into 6 pieces, or other small spoon-able pasta)
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Croutons & Cook Bacon: Preheat your oven to 180°C/345°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss the bread cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread them on a baking tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and crisp. Remove and let cool. In a large pot, lay the bacon strips in a single layer over cold surface. Turn heat to medium-high and cook until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1.5 minutes on the second. Remove bacon onto paper towels to drain and crisp as it cools; finely chop and set aside as garnish.
- Season the Chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tbsp black pepper.
- Cook the Chicken: Using the same pot with leftover bacon fat, cook chicken over medium-high heat for 1 1/2 minutes per side until lightly golden. Remove the chicken from pot and, once cool enough to handle, chop into small 8mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Build the Soup Base: Lower heat to medium-high. In the same pot, melt the butter. Add finely diced onion, minced garlic, chopped celery and carrot, and thyme sprigs if using. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the carrot softens, stirring regularly and avoiding browning of the onion. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute to form a roux. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Once smooth, add chicken stock, water, and 1 tsp salt. Stir well.
- Simmer the Soup: Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to low heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture will seem thin initially, but will thicken as pasta cooks.
- Add Pasta and Corn: Increase heat to high again. Add broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Final Cooking and Assembly: During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add frozen peas and the chopped chicken along with any juices that have collected. Stir to combine and heat through.
- Serve: Ladle the creamy chicken noodle soup into bowls. Garnish generously with chopped crispy bacon, homemade croutons, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy warm!
Notes
- For a richer soup, use full-fat milk, but low-fat or non-dairy milk alternatives also work well.
- Using sourdough bread for croutons adds a crunchier texture but regular sandwich bread is a perfectly good option.
- Cook bacon in a cold pot to render fat evenly and achieve maximum crispiness.
- Simmer gently after adding the liquids to cook the vegetables well without browning.
- The soup thickens as the pasta cooks thanks to the flour roux, so don’t be concerned if it looks thin at first.
- You can substitute chicken breast with boneless thighs for a more tender, juicy texture.
- Adjust salt according to taste and the sodium content of your broth to keep it well-balanced.
