One-Hour Chicken Noodle Soup with Real Bone Broth

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A weeknight chicken noodle soup that tastes like it simmered all day. Bone-in chicken thighs poach gently in aromatics to build a genuinely golden broth in under an hour, then get shredded back into the pot. The noodles cook separately and wait in the bowl, so day-two leftovers stay brothy instead of turning to starch soup.

Ingredients

• 2 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 5-6)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 3 medium carrots, 2 cut in chunks, 1 sliced into coins
• 3 stalks celery, 2 cut in chunks, 1 thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 piece Parmesan rind (about 2 inches)
• 6 sprigs fresh parsley, stems and leaves separated
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 8 cups water
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 8 oz wide egg noodles or broken tagliatelle
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, for serving
• to taste freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken thighs very dry and season all over with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, about 2 minutes.
2. Lay the thighs in skin-side down and sear undisturbed for 6-7 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and releases easily. Flip and sear 2 minutes more, then transfer to a plate. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat.
3. Add the quartered onion, carrot chunks, celery chunks, and smashed garlic to the pot. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until the vegetables pick up a little color.
4. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Add the Parmesan rind, parsley stems, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, peppercorns, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the water, and the chicken broth. The chicken should be just covered.
5. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat — you want lazy bubbles breaking the surface, never a rolling boil, or the broth will turn cloudy. Reduce heat to low, skim any gray foam from the surface, and simmer uncovered for 35 minutes.
6. Lift the chicken out with tongs onto a plate and let it cool for 10 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing gently on the solids; discard the spent vegetables, herbs, rind, and bay leaf. Wipe out the pot and pour the strained broth back in.
7. While the chicken cools, bring a separate pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the egg noodles 1 minute short of the package direction (usually 5-6 minutes), drain, rinse briefly under cool water to stop the cooking, and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside — do not add them to the soup pot.
8. Pull the chicken meat off the bones in large shreds, discarding skin and bones. You should have about 3 cups.
9. Bring the strained broth back to a simmer over medium heat. Add the sliced carrot coins and sliced celery and simmer 6-8 minutes, until just tender with a little bite.
10. Stir in the shredded chicken, butter, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes if using. Simmer 2 minutes to heat through. Taste and adjust salt aggressively — a strained broth almost always needs more than you expect. Finish with plenty of black pepper and the chopped parsley leaves.
11. Divide the noodles among six warm bowls (about 3/4 cup each) and ladle the hot soup over them. Top each bowl with grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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