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Paula Deen Chicken Noodle Soup

Paula Deen chicken noodle soup with a rich, butter-enriched golden broth and wide egg noodles. Simmered until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender, then finished with vegetables for a hearty, comforting bowl.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Whole chicken and broth base
  • 1 whole chicken 3-4 pounds
  • 10 cup water
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth Use 2 cups for the initial simmer; remaining broth for finishing
Vegetables and aromatics
  • 5 carrots sliced
  • 5 stalk celery with leaves, sliced
  • 1 onion large, diced
  • 4 clove garlic minced
  • 2 bay leaves
Soup flavor and noodles
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 12 oz wide egg noodles
  • 0.1 salt to taste
  • 0.1 pepper to taste
  • 0.25 fresh parsley for garnish

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the chicken and broth
  1. Place the whole chicken in a very large pot and add 10 cups water, 2 cups chicken broth, half the carrots, half the celery, half the onion, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. Skim the foam from the surface, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 45 minutes until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. Keep the simmer gentle to avoid clouding the broth.
  3. Remove the chicken and shred all meat, then discard the skin, bones, and used vegetables. Strain the broth to remove solids and return the strained broth to the pot.
Build the soup and cook noodles
  1. To the strained broth, add the remaining 2 cups chicken broth, butter, remaining carrots, remaining celery, remaining onion, and the minced garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the shredded chicken, dried thyme, and dried parsley to the pot. Simmer briefly to warm through, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the wide egg noodles and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender. Stir occasionally to keep noodles from sticking.
  4. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste, then ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot.

Notes

For the clearest broth, skim foam thoroughly right after the boil and keep the simmer gentle throughout the first cook. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze up to 2 months, but slightly undercook noodles if you plan to freeze. For a lower-sodium option, use reduced-sodium chicken broth and season with salt gradually at the end.