Description
This creamy chicken noodle soup features tender chicken breast, crispy bacon, and mini homemade croutons in a rich, flavorful broth with angel hair pasta and fresh vegetables. With a balance of textures and comforting flavors, it’s a perfect hearty meal ready in just 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken & Bacon
- 400g/10oz chicken breast (2 small, cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks; boneless thighs can be substituted)
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tbsp black pepper
- 4 strips streaky bacon (enough to cover base of pot)
Soup Base & Vegetables
- 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 are 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 angel hair/spaghetti broken into 6 pieces, or other small spoon-able pasta)
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional)
Croutons
- 1 cup bread (crustless, cut into 7mm / 1/4″ cubes – sourdough type is crunchier, regular sandwich bread is fine too)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Pinch cooking salt / kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare Croutons: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss the bread cubes with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread them on a baking tray and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and fully crisp. Cool on the tray and set aside.
- Season Chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tbsp black pepper evenly.
- Cook Crispy Bacon: Place the bacon strips in a single layer in an unheated large pot. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the bacon until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1 1/2 minutes on the second. Remove bacon from pot, draining excess fat but leaving it in the pot. Drain bacon on paper towels, then finely chop for garnish.
- Cook Chicken: In the same pot with hot bacon fat, cook chicken for 1 1/2 minutes on each side until light golden. Remove chicken to a plate. When cool enough to handle, chop into small 8 mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Make Soup Base: Lower heat to medium-high and melt butter in the same pot. Add diced onion, minced garlic, chopped celery, chopped carrot, and thyme sprigs. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until carrots are softened but onions do not brown.
- Add Flour and Liquids: Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring continuously to avoid lumps. After the flour is dissolved, add chicken stock, water, and 1 tsp salt, stirring to combine.
- Simmer Soup: Increase heat to high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Then reduce heat to gently simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup will appear thin initially but will thicken as pasta cooks.
- Cook Pasta and Vegetables: Turn heat back to high. Add broken angel hair pasta and corn kernels; cook for 5 minutes until pasta is tender. Add frozen peas and chopped chicken with any collected juices during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chopped crispy bacon, homemade croutons, and a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- Using full-fat milk will create a creamier soup, but low-fat or non-dairy milks like oat or almond can be used as alternatives.
- Cooking bacon in a cold pan helps render fat more evenly and produce crispier strips.
- Sourdough bread tends to make crunchier croutons but any bread is fine depending on preference.
- Angel hair pasta cooks quickly; breaking it into pieces makes it spoon-friendly in soups.
- If you prefer more vegetables, feel free to add extra carrots, celery, or frozen peas.
