Warm Chicken Soup for Cold Days

Nothing comforts like a bowl of warm chicken soup on a cold day. Tender chicken, sweet carrots, and soft noodles simmer in a golden broth that tastes like it cooked for hours, yet this version is ready in under an hour and uses one pot.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 500 g bone-in chicken thighs (or 2 chicken breasts)
• 2 litres chicken stock
• 150 g egg noodles
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and black pepper
• Chopped parsley and lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Add the chicken, stock, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming off any foam, then cover and cook for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
3. Remove the chicken and shred the meat, discarding the skin and bones. Return the meat to the pot.
4. Add the noodles and cook for 8 minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf, and serve hot with parsley and lemon.

Tips

Bone-in chicken gives the broth far more flavour than boneless, so use thighs if you can. Make a double batch and freeze half for busy days; it keeps for three months. Cook the noodles separately if you plan to store leftovers, so they do not go soft in the soup.