Written by Kate Tietje
I love chicken noodle soup.
Always have. When I was a little girl, that meant the stuff in cans. Those iconic red-and-white labels that had basically no veggies and just tiny bites of chicken and overcooked noodles in them. Still loved it. (Although I haven’t had that in years now.)
By the time I was a teen, I’d graduated to cans with veggies and restaurant versions and started trying my hand at “homemade.” With a box of broth, naturally.
Fast forward several years, and I’ve perfected my homemade version, starting with a delicious chicken bone broth base. Super nourishing and super delicious.
These days, I’m trying not to eat so many grains. And noodle soup, in all its goodness, is pretty high on the grains. I didn’t want to just not eat it anymore or find some kind of grain-free substitute that would change the soup’s flavor. So…I adapted it a bit and came up with a version that’s exactly what a good chicken soup should be — without the noodles.
Chicken “Not Noodle” Soup
Be patient when making this and build the flavors slowly — it’s more wait time than hands-on time, and it will be worth it. Every step and every herb has its place here.
If you’ve been grain-free, don’t miss out on “chicken noodle” soup for another minute.
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. butter or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 – 6 ribs celery (about 2 cups), sliced
- 3 – 4 carrots (about 1 1/2 cups), peeled and sliced
- 8 cups bone broth (learn how to make homemade chicken bone broth)
- 1 large chicken breast (about 1 lb.)
- 2 tsp. parsley
- 2 tsp. sage
- 1 bay leaf
- Sea salt to taste
Directions:
Step 1: In a large soup pot, melt butter (or heat oil) on medium-low heat.
Step 2: Add all the veggies and salt generously. Allow them to cook for 5 – 10 minutes until softened a bit.
Step 3: Add the chicken, broth, veggies, and herbs.
Step 4: Simmer on low for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Don’t rush this!
Step 5: Remove the chicken from the pot and cut or shred it. If it’s cooked properly, you should be able to do this with a spoon. Seriously.
Step 6: Return the chicken to the pot, taste to adjust salt, then serve.
Chicken "Not Noodle" Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp. butter or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4-6 ribs celery (about 2 cups) sliced
- 3-4 carrots (about 1 1/2 cups) peeled & sliced
- 8 c. homemade bone broth
- 1 large chicken breast (about 1 lb)
- 2 tsp. parsley
- 2 tsp. sage
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, melt butter (or heat oil) on medium-low heat.
- Add all the veggies and salt generously. Allow them to cook for 5 - 10 minutes until softened a bit.
- Add the chicken, broth, veggies, and herbs.
- Simmer on low for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and cut or shred it.
- Return the chicken to the pot, taste to adjust salt, then serve.
I use kelp noodles as the noodle in my chicken noodle soup. They have many health benefits and hold up extremely well in the soup, even in leftovers. We really like it that way.