Description
A comforting and creamy chicken noodle soup featuring tender chicken breast, fresh vegetables, angel hair pasta, and sweet corn, topped with crispy bacon and crunchy mini croutons. This homemade soup is perfect for a cozy meal and comes together in just 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken & Seasoning
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small, halved horizontally to form thin steaks; boneless thighs can be substituted)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
Bacon & Croutons
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
- 1 cup bread (crustless, cut into 7mm / 1/4″ cubes; sourdough or regular sandwich bread)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Pinch cooking salt / kosher salt
Sauté Base & Soup Ingredients
- 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″)
- 1 carrot (chopped 0.5 x 1 cm / 1/5 x 1/2″)
- 3/4 cup corn kernels (frozen thawed or canned drained)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups milk (full fat preferred, low fat or non-dairy acceptable)
- 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, spoon-able pasta)
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Croutons and Bacon: Preheat the oven to 180°C/345°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss the bread cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread on a baking tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway, until golden and crisp. Cool on the tray and set aside. Meanwhile, place bacon strips in a cold large pot in a single layer. Turn heat to medium-high and cook until golden on both sides (about 2-3 minutes on first side, 1.5 minutes on second). Remove bacon from pot, drain on paper towels, and finely chop when cool. Keep bacon fat in the pot for cooking.
- Season the Chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tbsp black pepper.
- Cook the Chicken: Using the same pot with bacon fat over medium-high heat, cook the chicken for 1.5 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove chicken to a plate and let cool slightly before chopping into small 8 mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Sauté Vegetables and Make Roux: Reduce heat to medium-high. Melt butter in the pot and add finely diced onion, minced garlic, chopped celery, carrot, and thyme sprigs. Cook for about 5 minutes until the carrot softens and onions are translucent, stirring regularly to avoid browning. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir continuously for 1 minute to form a roux.
- Add Liquids and Simmer: Slowly pour in the milk while stirring to dissolve the flour. Add chicken stock, water, and 1 tsp cooking salt. Stir well. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a simmer. Then reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will be thin now but will thicken once pasta cooks.
- Cook the Pasta and Add Ingredients: Raise heat back to high. Add broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes or until pasta is tender. During the last 2 minutes, add frozen peas and chopped chicken with any accumulated juices.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped crispy bacon, homemade croutons, and a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley if using. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Use boneless thighs instead of breasts for a juicier texture if preferred.
- Streaky bacon renders a rich flavorful fat perfect for cooking chicken and vegetables.
- If sourdough bread is used for croutons, baking time may be slightly longer to reach full crispness.
- Milk can be substituted with non-dairy milk such as oat or almond milk, but full-fat options give a richer soup.
- The thyme sprigs are optional but add a lovely aromatic note.
- Be patient with the roux step to avoid lumps by stirring continuously when adding milk.
- The soup thickens as pasta absorbs liquid; do not over-thicken before adding pasta.
