If Grandma didn't have time to make homemade egg noodles from scratch she just broke up any pasta we had most of the time it was spaghetti.
She always boiled the pasta in a separate pan of salt water so it wouldn't make the soup broth disappear!.
I can remember how soothing her chicken soup made me feel when I was a kid and was a little under the weather with the sniffles.
This basic chicken soup is so easy to make with just a few ingredients and very economical to feed a whole family.
The bowl of chicken soup was loaded with chicken off the bone, carrots, and celery and the broth was fabulous tasting alone with just crackers, I didn't even care if it had noodles in it.
Those curly egg noodles were a bonus when we could afford them and of course, as a child, we all thought they were a fun addition but we didn't always have the money for them.
Being an Italian-style soup, piling on the grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top of that hot bowl of chicken goodness, the soup was the perfect spoonful of yummy delight every time.
We use homemade plain chicken broth in many of our recipes, Classic Pastine and Egg, and using broth instead of water for Stew Recipes, and in our Minestrone soup made all these meals tastier!
My grandma and mom knew how to make a banquet out of just simple ingredients that just shouted comfort and always looked forward to a hot steamy bowl.
Scroll to the bottom for this printable recipe and give what we think is the best of the best Chicken Noodle Soups ever!
Grandma Said Everything goes in the Soup!
I can't tell you how many versions of soup came out of this recipe.
It was different every time she made it just by her leftover mix-ins.
I was the picky eater who just liked carrots in it and nothing else.
I am going to list a bunch of suggestions to recreate several meals with one chicken soup recipe.
Our family always had one recipe for everything, stew, cookie dough, pizza, and bread dough the list goes on and on and all of those recipes could be adapted differently.
Basic Ingredients for Grandma's Old Fashioned Chicken Soup Recipe
- chicken legs or thighs, ( you can also use cubed breast meat if you prefer or leftover turkey from a holiday meal)
- chopped fresh parsley
- sliced carrots or fingerling carrots
- minced garlic
- celery chopped with leaves
- large can of whole tomatoes chopped or two pounds fresh plum chopped
- small onion minced finely minced
- 1 or 2 leaves fresh when possible) oregano, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, fresh basil, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- sea salt to taste
- packaged pasta any of your favorites, broken up spaghetti, pastina, rice, noodles, baby shells, orecchiette pasta, wagon wheels, alphabets, orzo, acini de pepe, cooked separately until tender in salted water. Drain.
Other Ingredient Suggestions
- Cubed Zucchini
- Fresh Spinach leaves
- Escarole
- Mini meatballs ( you can turn this into an Italian wedding soup)
- Any kind of white beans canned and rinsed
- Mixed canned or frozen vegetables
- Italian cubed sausage links
- Any kind of root vegetables you like
- Fresh or dried herbs IE basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage,
- Poultry seasoning
- Chopped fresh plum tomatoes or canned
- Any kind of cooked pasta is always added at the end when the soup is done
- Freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
They say Chicken Soup Will Fix What Ails You
Chicken has always been an economical meat to use for meals.
Soup recipes can be found in history to be dated as far back as 7,000 to 10,000 years ago, which probably took place either in ancient India or Southeast Asia.
Grandma grew up in the Depression days and was born in the 1800s, this soup was always a weekly meal.
Chicken soup can be made from any part of the chicken primarily legs or thighs for richer broths because of the fat content it gives off.
Then it's simmered in water, usually with various root vegetables or even combinations of meats that can be added ingredients after the rich broth is made.
Chicken noodle soup has been known to be the ultimate comfort food which will help soothe aches, stuffy noses, and scratchy throats which is comforting when flu and cold season strikes.
Mom and Grandma would always make large pots for the freezer to have on hand during those sick times.
Cooking the Soup Tips
- Always use a big 7 to 8-quart soup pot
- If the broth boils away add more water
- Always boil the pasta in a separate pan of boiling water with salt added and drain adding at the end
- Cook on a low simmer for at least two hours or use a crockpot/slow cooker on low for 4 to 6 hours
- Use only fresh vegetables when possible IE tomatoes, spinach, and celery for the best results in the flavor
- Chicken soup must be tasted for salt and pepper content adding more or less to taste
- Recipes are for adapting and anything can go in the pot
- Don't worry if you added too much water, just let it boil off and increase the simmer to medium heat until the broth gets to a richer taste again
- For plain broth just strain all the vegetables and chicken out and freeze for another time using the chicken for chicken salad or topping for salads.
Grandma's Old Fashioned Chicken Soup Pin for later
Try Some of My Other Favorite Recipes
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Grandma's Old Fashioned Chicken Soup
Yield: 10
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 2 hourtotal time: 2 H & 10 M
This is vintage recipe Grandma always made all winter long. Chicken soup is the most comforting soup on the planet and made from scratch, this made everyone feel better with whatever ails you.
ingredients:
- 8 to 10 chicken legs or thighs, ( you can also use cubed breast meat if you prefer or leftover turkey from a holiday meal)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup sliced carrots or fingerling carrots
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/4 cup celery chopped with leaves
- 1 large can of whole tomatoes chopped with juice
- 1 small onion minced finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon of each (use 1 or 2 leaves fresh when possible) oregano, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, fresh basil, black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- sea salt to taste
- 1/2 lb package pasta any of your favorites, broken up spaghetti, pastina, rice, noodles, baby shells, orecchiette pasta, wagon wheels, alphabets, orzo, acini de pepe, cooked separately until tender in salted water. Drain.
instructions:
How to cook Grandma's Old Fashioned Italian Chicken Soup
- In a large saucepan saute garlic for two minutes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add Chicken and 4 quarts of water, boil for an hour, skimming off the top as it cooks to get a clear broth.
- Put on low to simmer for at least an hour and a half.
- Take chicken out cool and pull off the bone into pieces put back into the pot.
- Add all the vegetables and seasonings.
- Simmer until vegetables are soft another 40 minutes or so.
- Add cooked drained pasta.
- Just before serving, add 1/2 cup of Romano grated cheese into the pot and stir.
- Grandma served her soup with more cheese on top and crackers.
- Note: never add raw pasta to the soup, it will absorb all the broth and leave you with a starchy film from the flour and starch in the pasta.
Calories
165
165
Fat (grams)
11
11
Sat. Fat (grams)
4
4
Carbs (grams)
12
12
Net carbs
6
6
Sugar (grams)
4
4
Protein (grams)
22
22
Grandma's Old Fashioned Chicken Soup Pin for later
Try Some of My Other Favorite Recipes
Our Best Soup Recipes
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