Description
This Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Mini Croutons is a comforting, hearty dish perfect for any day. Juicy chicken breast cooked in flavorful bacon fat creates a rich base, complemented by tender vegetables, pasta, and a velvety milk-based broth. Finished with crispy streaky bacon and homemade mini croutons, this soup offers delightful texture and a delicious balance of creamy and savory flavors in every spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasonings
- 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
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
Sauté Base
- 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)
Broth and Soup
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 cups milk (full fat best but low fat or non-dairy substitutes 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 pasta)
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 3/4 cup corn kernels (frozen thawed or canned drained)
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Croutons Preparation: Preheat your oven to 180°C/345°F (160°C fan-forced). Toss the cubed bread with olive oil and a pinch of salt, then spread it on a baking tray. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and fully crisp. Remove from oven and let cool on the tray; set aside for garnish.
- Season the Chicken: Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly on both sides of the chicken breast steaks to season thoroughly.
- Crisp the Bacon: Place the bacon strips in a cold large pot in a single layer. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the bacon until golden brown and crispy 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, reserving the bacon fat in the pot. Once cool, finely chop the bacon and set aside for garnish.
- Cook the Chicken: Using the same pot with hot bacon fat, cook the seasoned chicken for 1.5 minutes on each side until light golden. Remove the chicken and let it cool enough to handle, then chop into small 8 mm (1/3″) cubes.
- Prepare the Soup Base: Lower the heat to medium-high and melt the butter in the pot with bacon fat. Add finely diced onion, minced garlic, chopped celery and carrot, and thyme sprigs (if using). Cook for about 5 minutes until the carrot softens, stirring regularly and ensuring the onion does not brown.
- Make the Roux and Add Liquids: Sprinkle flour over the softened vegetables and stir continuously for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring to dissolve the flour smoothly. Add chicken stock, water, and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine thoroughly.
- Simmer the Soup: Increase heat to high to bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup might be thin now, but it will thicken as the pasta cooks—trust this process.
- Cook Pasta and Vegetables: Turn heat back up to high and add broken angel hair pasta along with corn kernels. Cook for 5 minutes until pasta is tender. During the last 2 minutes, add frozen peas and chopped chicken (including any juices) to warm through.
- Serve the Soup: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish generously with the crispy chopped bacon, freshly baked mini croutons, and a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley if using. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Use boneless thighs as a substitute for chicken breast for a juicier texture.
- Keep the pot large enough to comfortably cook bacon and make the soup base to avoid overcrowding.
- The soup thickens as the angel hair pasta cooks, so don’t be alarmed if it looks thin initially.
- Fresh thyme is optional but adds a lovely herbal note; dried thyme works well too.
- For the croutons, sourdough bread tends to get crunchier but any bread works fine.
- Non-dairy milk can be used but full-fat dairy milk yields creamiest results.
