RECIPE: Best Chicken Noodle Soup When Your Ill

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Ultra-Comforting and Nutritious Chicken Noodle Soup

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When your unwell or if you're just in the mood for comfort food over the cooler winter months there is nothing like a soup. One of the best comfort soups is the Chicken Noodle Soup. This one in particular caught our eye. Our Dietitians are big on nutritious and delicious meals that bring you joy. We hope this recipe does exactly that.

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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

(serves 4)

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Chicken Broth ingredients

Use your leftover chicken carcass to make the broth below or use store-bought chicken broth or chicken stock (especially if you're sick and don't have the energy to make your homemade broth).

• 1 Roast Chicken
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• Bay leaf (optional)
• 8 cups of water
• salt and pepper to taste.

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Chicken Noodle Soup ingredients

In addition to the broth above you will need the following ingredients for this soup recipe.

• 2 carrots, chopped
• ½ leek, thinly sliced
• ¼ cabbage, thinly sliced
• ½ packet spaghetti
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained
• Leftover gravy (optional)
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• 2 teaspoons mixed herbs

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Chicken Noodle Soup method:

1. Remove 3 cups of flesh and put aside for the soup and keep carcass for the broth.
2. Add all the above to a pot of water
3. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for at least 60 minutes.
4. Sieve the broth and discard bones.
5. Return the chicken broth to the pot and add the rest of the ingredients.
6. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the spaghetti is cooked.
7. If the soup is too thick, you can add more water.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve and enjoy.

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Nutritionist Notes From Chantelle:

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Carrots, leek, and cabbage are all great winter vegetables. Eating fruit and vegetables seasonally is a great idea for many reasons:

• fruit and vegetables are cheaper as they are more abundant
• fruit and vegetables contain higher levels of nutrients when they are allowed to ripen naturally
• frozen vegetables are also a great option. Just as nutritious, cheap, and easy to prepare

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The base of the soup is a chicken bone broth. Bone broth is a good choice because:

• Bone broth is a highly nutritious stock that can be made by simmering animal bones and connective tissue in water, herbs and spices
• Bone broth contains healing compounds such as: glutamine, collagen, proline, glycine and gelatine. These are essential amino acids and trace minerals that are known to promote gut health
• Easily digestible and very soothing, bone broth also helps support the immune system during times of sickness and ill health

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Well-balanced recipe:

• Good source of protein from the chicken will keep you feeling fuller for longer
• Carbohydrates from the noodles (if you can, try use whole wheat spaghetti) will supply energy to your body which is esp. important if you are sick
• Lots of good fibre from the vegetables and cannellini beans will promote a healthy gut microbiome and immune system

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Chicken stock:

• Try to use low or reduced sodium stock where possible

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History of Chicken Noodle Soup:

While chicken noodle soup came later. Chicken soup has been popular since the farming of chickens approximately 8000 years ago (estimates vary).

We all have different dishes that provide comfort when we are not feeling our best. These are likely influenced by your culture and cultural food. What is your favourite recipe growing up that made you glow? 

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Recipe: Chicken Noodle Soup By Love Food Hate Waste (shared with permission)

Comments: Chantelle Cunningham, Nutritionist, University of Otago Masters Student, and volunteer at Nutrition & Life.