Description
This creamy chicken noodle soup with mini croutons is a comforting, hearty dish perfect for any day. Tender chicken breast is cooked in flavorful bacon fat, combined with veggies, milk, and chicken stock to create a rich broth. Angel hair pasta and sweet corn add texture, while crispy bacon bits and homemade mini croutons provide delightful crunch. Ready in 40 minutes, this soup is a delicious, satisfying meal for the whole family.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Meat
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small, cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks; boneless thighs can be substituted)
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
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)
Dairy and Pantry
- 30g/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups milk (full fat preferred, low fat or non-dairy works too)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/3 cups (100g) broken angel hair pasta (or angel hair/spaghetti broken into 6 pieces, or other small, spoon-able pasta)
Seasonings and Oil
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (for chicken)
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cooking salt (for soup broth)
- Pinch cooking salt / kosher salt (for croutons)
- 2 tsp olive oil (for croutons)
For Croutons
- 1 cup bread (crustless, cut into 7mm / 1/4″ cubes – sourdough or regular sandwich bread)
Instructions
- Croutons & Crispy Bacon: Preheat your oven to 180°C/345°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss the bread cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt, then spread them on a baking tray. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp. Remove and cool on the tray. For the bacon, layer the strips in an unheated large pot. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until bacon is golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1.5 minutes on the second. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, then finely chop for garnish.
- Season Chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tbsp black pepper evenly to season well.
- Cook Chicken: Using the same pot with the retained bacon fat on medium-high heat, cook the chicken for about 1.5 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Remove from pot and, once cool enough to handle, chop into small 8 mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Prepare Broth Base: Keep the heat at medium-high and melt the butter in the pot. Add diced onion, minced garlic, celery, carrot, and thyme sprigs, cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the carrot softens and onions are translucent but not browned. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir well for 1 minute to cook out raw flour taste.
- Add Liquids: Slowly pour in the milk while stirring constantly to dissolve the flour into a smooth mixture. Then add chicken stock, water, and 1 tsp salt. Stir everything together thoroughly.
- Simmer Soup: Increase heat to high to bring the soup to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will still be somewhat thin but will thicken as pasta cooks.
- Cook Pasta and Vegetables: Turn the heat back up to high and add broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes until pasta is tender. In the last 2 minutes, add frozen peas and chopped chicken (including any juices that have accumulated on the plate) to warm through.
- Serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Sprinkle the finely chopped crispy bacon and mini croutons on top, garnish with a pinch of fresh parsley if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
- For a richer soup, use full-fat milk but low-fat or non-dairy milk alternatives like oat milk also work well.
- Boneless chicken thighs can be substituted for chicken breasts for more flavor and tenderness.
- Adjust salt to taste, especially if your chicken stock is not low sodium.
- You can use regular sandwich bread or sourdough for the croutons; sourdough croutons will be crunchier but might take a little longer to bake.
- The soup thickens primarily when the pasta cooks, so don’t worry if it looks thin after adding liquids initially.
- Don’t brown the onions or vegetables when sautéing; cook until softened to maintain sweetness and avoid bitterness.
- Leftover soup reheats well on stovetop or microwave, but add a splash of milk or water when reheating to loosen if it thickens too much.
