Description
This creamy chicken noodle soup with mini croutons delivers a comforting bowl of warmth and rich flavors, combining tender chicken, crispy bacon, and crunchy homemade croutons. A perfect hearty meal for chilly days made with simple ingredients and cooked on the stovetop to ensure a velvety broth with perfectly cooked pasta and vegetables.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken & Bacon
- 400g / 10oz chicken breast (2 small, cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks; boneless thighs can be substituted)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
Soup Base & Vegetables
- 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 (~0.5 x 1.2 cm / 1/5 x 1/2″ pieces)
- 1 carrot, chopped (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 best but low fat or non-dairy okay)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp cooking salt
Pasta & Garnishes
- 1 1/3 cups (100g) broken angel hair pasta (or angel hair spaghetti broken into 6 pieces, or other small, spoon-able pasta)
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
- 1 cup bread (crustless) cut into 7mm / 1/4″ cubes – sourdough or regular sandwich bread
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Pinch cooking salt / kosher salt
Instructions
- Croutons & crispy bacon: Preheat the oven to 180°C/345°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss bread cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, tossing halfway, until golden and crisp. Remove and cool on tray.
- Season chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken steak pieces with salt and black pepper evenly.
- Crispy bacon: Place bacon strips in a cold large pot. Turn heat to medium-high and cook bacon until golden on both sides—about 2-3 minutes on first side and 1.5 minutes on second. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Once cooled, finely chop for garnish.
- Cook chicken: Using the same pot with bacon fat, cook chicken for 1.5 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove chicken to a plate and once cool enough, chop into small 8mm / 1/3″ cubes.
- Prepare broth base: Lower heat to medium-high. Melt butter in the same pot. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and thyme sprigs. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are softened but onion does not brown.
- Thicken soup: Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Slowly pour in milk while stirring to dissolve the flour fully. Then add chicken stock, water, and 1 tsp salt, stirring to combine.
- Simmer soup: Bring mixture to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup might be thin at first but will thicken as pasta cooks.
- Cook pasta & mix: Turn heat back to high. Add broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes or until pasta is nearly soft. Add frozen peas and chicken cubes with any juices during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls. Top with chopped crispy bacon, homemade croutons, and a pinch of finely chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy warm!
Notes
- Thyme is optional but adds a subtle herbaceous note.
- Bacon fat is used to cook chicken and form the flavor base of the soup; do not discard.
- Sourdough bread croutons may take slightly longer to crisp.
- Use full fat milk for a creamier soup, but low fat or non-dairy milk works for lighter versions.
- Broken angel hair pasta cooks quickly, so monitor to avoid overcooking.
