Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Mini Croutons Recipe
This creamy chicken noodle soup is a homemade twist on instant cup-a-noodle soup, packed with real ingredients for a hearty, wholesome, and cozy meal. It’s creamy without the use of cream, featuring tender chicken, delicate angel hair pasta, fresh vegetables, and crispy bacon and mini croutons for added texture and flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Western
Ingredients
Chicken
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small), cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks (substitute boneless thighs if desired)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
Soup
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
- 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 preferred but low fat or non-dairy alternatives okay
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp cooking salt
- 1 1/3 cups (100g) broken angel hair pasta or broken spaghetti/other small pasta
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Mini Croutons
- 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 the bread cubes with olive oil and salt. Spread them on a baking tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and crisp. Remove and cool on the tray. Set aside. Place the bacon strips in a cold large pot in a single layer. Turn heat to medium-high and cook bacon until golden on both sides (about 2–3 minutes on first side, 1 1/2 minutes on second). Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. The bacon will crisp as it cools. Finely chop and set aside for garnish.
- Season chicken: Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.
- Cook chicken: In the same hot pot with bacon fat, cook chicken for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly. Chop chicken into small 8 mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Make the broth: Lower heat to medium-high. In the same pot, melt the butter. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and thyme sprigs. Cook for about 5 minutes until the carrot softens, stirring regularly to avoid browning the onion. Add flour and stir continuously for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Gradually pour in milk while stirring to dissolve the flour. Add chicken stock, water, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Simmer: Increase heat to high and bring soup to a simmer, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will appear thin at this stage but will thicken with pasta cooking.
- Cook pasta and vegetables: Raise heat to high. Add broken pasta and corn. Cook for 5 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add peas and chopped chicken (including any juices) in the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped crispy bacon, mini croutons, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Short cut angel hair pasta is available pre-cut in some stores, cooking faster and perfect for soup. If unavailable, break regular angel hair or spaghetti into small pieces by hand; they will take slightly longer to cook.
- When cooking bacon, if using streaky bacon with fat, no added oil is needed as it cooks in its own fat. For lean bacon, a little oil may be required.
- Feel free to substitute corn and peas with other vegetables according to preference.
- For making ahead or storing leftovers, strain the pasta, chicken, and vegetables from the broth using a colander to prevent pasta from swelling excessively while stored. Keep components separately in the fridge for 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.