Description
A comforting and creamy chicken noodle soup featuring tender chicken breast, fresh vegetables, sweet corn, and broken angel hair pasta, topped with homemade mini croutons and crispy bacon bits. Perfect for a hearty lunch or dinner, this soup combines rich flavors and satisfying textures in about 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small, cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks; substitute with boneless thighs)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
Bacon and 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
Vegetables and 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)
Liquids and Others
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups milk (full fat preferred but low fat or non-dairy acceptable)
- 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 broken spaghetti or other small spoon-able pasta)
Instructions
- Croutons & Crispy 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 through until golden and crisp. Let cool and set aside.
- Season Chicken – Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tbsp black pepper evenly.
- Crispy Bacon – Place the bacon strips in a single layer in a cold, large pot. Turn heat to medium-high and cook bacon until golden and crisp on both sides (about 2-3 minutes on first side, 1.5 minutes on second). Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Finely chop and set aside for garnish. Leave bacon fat in pot.
- Cook Chicken – In the same hot pot with bacon fat, cook the seasoned chicken for 1.5 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove onto a plate, let cool slightly, then cut into small 8mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Prepare Broth Base – Lower heat to medium-high. Melt butter in the pot, then add diced onion, minced garlic, chopped celery, carrot, and thyme sprigs. Cook for about 5 minutes until carrots soften, stirring regularly but avoiding browning the onion.
- Add Flour and Milk – Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir continuously for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring to dissolve the flour completely.
- Add Stock, Water and Salt – Pour in the chicken stock, water, and 1 tsp salt. Stir the mixture thoroughly.
- Simmer Soup – Bring the soup to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to low heat to simmer gently for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally; the soup will start thin but will thicken as pasta cooks.
- Cook Pasta and Vegetables – Increase heat to high. Add broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, add frozen peas and the chopped chicken (including any juices) to the soup.
- Serve – Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with chopped crispy bacon, homemade croutons, and a pinch of finely chopped parsley if using. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use boneless chicken thighs as a substitute for chicken breasts for a juicier texture.
- Bacon fat adds rich flavor – do not discard it, use it to cook the chicken and vegetables.
- The soup will appear thin initially but thickens as the pasta cooks; trust the process.
- Sourdough bread makes crunchier croutons but regular sandwich bread works well too.
- For a dairy-free version, substitute milk with non-dairy milk and use chicken stock that suits dietary restrictions.
