Description
A comforting and creamy chicken noodle soup made with tender chicken breast, fresh vegetables, and tender angel hair pasta, topped with crispy bacon and homemade mini croutons for added crunch. This hearty soup is perfect for a cozy meal and comes together in about 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Bacon
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small, cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks; can substitute boneless thighs)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
Vegetables & Herbs
- 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)
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Soup Base
- 30g/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups milk (full fat best but low fat or non-dairy OK)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp cooking salt
Pasta
- 1 1/3 cups (100g) broken angel hair pasta (or angel hair/spaghetti broken into 6 pieces, or other small spoon-able pasta)
Croutons
- 1 cup bread (crustless, cut into 7mm / 1/4″ cubes – sourdough type is crunchier, regular sandwich bread is fine too)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Pinch cooking salt / kosher salt
Instructions
- Croutons & crispy bacon: Preheat the oven to 180°C (345°F) or 160°C fan-forced. Toss the cubed bread with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread on a baking tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the croutons are golden and crisp. Remove from oven and cool on the tray; set aside for serving.
- Season chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 tablespoon black pepper evenly, preparing them for cooking.
- Crispy bacon: Place the bacon strips in a single layer in a cold large pot. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the bacon until golden brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes on the first side and 1.5 minutes on the second side. Remove bacon onto paper towels to drain and crisp further as it cools. Finely chop the cooled bacon and set aside for garnish. Leave the rendered fat in the pot.
- Cook chicken: Using the same pot and bacon fat, cook the seasoned chicken over medium-high heat for about 1.5 minutes on each side until light golden brown. Remove from the pot and once cooled enough to handle, chop the chicken into small cubes about 8 mm (1/3 inch).
- Prepare broth base: Lower the heat to medium-high. In the same pot, melt the unsalted butter. Add diced onion, minced garlic, chopped celery, chopped carrot, and thyme sprigs (if using). Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the carrot is softened but onions have not browned. Add flour and stir for 1 minute to cook out the raw taste.
- Add liquids: Slowly pour in the milk while stirring continuously to dissolve the flour without lumps. Then add chicken stock, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine.
- Simmer soup: Increase heat to high to bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will seem thin at first but will thicken as the pasta cooks.
- Cook pasta and vegetables: Turn the heat back up to high. Add the broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes until pasta is almost tender. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas and chopped chicken along with any juices. Stir to combine and finish cooking until pasta is soft and peas are heated through.
- Serve: Ladle the creamy chicken noodle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the reserved chopped crispy bacon and freshly baked mini croutons. Garnish with a pinch of finely chopped parsley if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute boneless chicken thighs for breast for a juicier texture.
- Cooking bacon in a cold pan allows the fat to render slowly, making it crispier.
- Trust that the soup will thicken as the pasta cooks, even if it looks thin initially.
- Sourdough bread makes crunchier croutons, but any sandwich bread works fine.
- If you prefer, non-dairy milk such as almond or oat can be substituted for regular milk.
