Why This Recipe Works :
Chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food, easy to make at home. To make it keto-friendly, we upped the fat content and reduced the carbs from pasta and onion. At the test kitchen, we start the base for our chicken noodle soup with store-bought broth—a timesaver—but enhance it with aromatics and fond built by browning chicken pieces in a Dutch oven. For this version, we browned fatty chicken thighs, removed them, and added broth, onion, carrots, and thyme to the fat left in the pot, scraping up the delicious browned bits.
Then we put the thighs back in to finish cooking and deepen the broth’s flavor. And that onion? We discovered a neat trick—adding a halved onion during cooking enhanced the taste and we could easily discard it before serving. For the noodles, we turned to tried-and true low-carb zucchini, spiralizing them and then cutting the noodles into 2-inch lengths. These only needed a few moments in the simmering soup to become tender.
A quick sprinkle of chopped parsley gave pleasant freshness to our finished soup. Our Southwestern- and Japanese-inspired variations bring new twists of
flavor to a comforting standard. We prefer to spiralize our own zucchini, but you can substitute store-bought spiralized zucchini, though they tend to be drier and less flavorful. Avoid buying large zucchini, which have thicker skins and more seeds.
Directions :
- Using spiralizer, cut zucchini into ⅛-inch-thick noodles, then cut noodles into 2-inch lengths; set aside. (You should have 1 pound of zucchini noodles after spiralizing; reserve extra noodles for another use.)
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate.
- Stir broth, onion, carrots, thyme, salt, and pepper into fat left in pot, scraping up any browned bits. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken registers 165 degrees, about 10 minutes.
- Discard onion. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks; discard skin and bones.
- Return soup to boil over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken and zucchini and cook until zucchini is tender, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle each portion with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serve.
CHICKEN ZOODLE SOUP
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini 8 ounces each, ends trimmed
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs trimmed
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 onion 8 ounces, halved through root end
- 2 carrots 5 ounces, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Using spiralizer, cut zucchini into ⅛-inch-thick noodles, then cut noodles into 2-inch lengths; set aside. (You should have 1 pound of zucchini noodles after spiralizing; reserve extra noodles for another use.)
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate.
- Stir broth, onion, carrots, thyme, salt, and pepper into fat left in pot, scraping up any browned bits. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken registers 165 degrees, about 10 minutes.
- Discard onion. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks; discard skin and bones.
- Return soup to boil over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken and zucchini and cook until zucchini is tender, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle each portion with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serve.