Panera chicken noodle soup in under an hour! I can help you bring some life back into a rotisserie chicken, or brighten up some skinless, boneless thighs with nothing more than some standard vegetables, a few herbs and seasonings, broth or homemade stock, vinegar, and cheap old egg noodles.
1lbskinless boneless chicken thighsPepper and lightly seasoned with salt
2tbspolive oil
1cup onions diced
1/2cup celery sliced
2 1/2tsp minced garlic
1cup carrotssliced
8cups chicken brothI used Better than Bouillon chicken base (low sodium)
1tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp dried thyme
1/4tsp dried dill
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4tsp paprika
1/4tsp vinegaror use lemon juice
1bay leaf
3cupswide egg noodles
Instructions
1. Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear both sides until golden about 2-3 minutes. Do not move the chicken around at all. Once the chicken is done. Take it out and set it to the side.
Next add the onions, celery and carrots. Add more butter, or olive oil if needed. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
Pour in chicken stock and bay leaf; Add the salt, pepper and the remaining seasonings and parsley. Bring to boil; add the chicken. Simmer covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken and carefully (because it will be very hot or let it cool first) shred into bit size pieces.
Add chicken back into the pot. Next add the noodles. Stir. Cook until tender about 6-8 minutes and serve.
Notes
For maximum flavor, it's best to brine the chicken first but you can skip this step and the soup will still be delicious. I prefer to make everything in a pot which means less dirty dishes, but if you want a really nice sear, you can use a cast iron.Nothing puts a better crust on meat than old-fashioned cast iron. You'll just need to transfer the chicken to a pot to make the soup.However, if you're using rotisserie chicken, you can skip this step entirely. Shred the chicken. Wait until the soup is done then add it to the pot.