Flu-Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup

Name: Flu-Fighting Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium onion, diced; 3 stalks celery, diced; 2 medium carrots, diced; 4 (½ inch thick) fresh ginger slices, optional; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 2 bay leaves; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 teaspoons adobo seasoning, optional; 1 heaping tablespoons salt-free all purpose seasoning (such as Mrs. Dash); 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 8 cups low sodium chicken broth; 5-6 ounce egg noodles (to preference); 2 cups shredded chicken; Zest of 1 lemon + 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice; ¼ cup chopped parsley

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Warm and soothing! Flu-fighting chicken noodle soup is loaded with all your noodle soup favorites plus tons of ingredients that help you fight that cold or flu even faster! The perfect home remedy for flu season!

flu-fighting chicken noodle soup in speckled bowl on white marble

Soul healing. Flu-fighting chicken noodle soup.

This chicken noodle soup is the first recipe I make whenever either of us feels like we’re coming down with something.

It’s always the same, right? It all starts with a sneeze or a slight tickle in the back of your throat that you can’t kick. And before you know it, it’s the full-on flu. Fever, cold chills, no appetite, and congestion. You get the picture.

Nothing feels the way a warm bowl of soup does when you’re sick. Especially when it’s a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup. Tons of al dente veggies cooked in olive oil, tender chunks of chicken, warm chicken stock and pasta spirals – the wider the noodle, the better.

To amp it up and make more of a ‘flu-fighting chicken noodle soup’ I used a ton of ingredients that help boost your immune system naturally.

chicken noodle soup in cast iron pot with ladle

Ingredients in flu-fighting chicken noodle soup:

Olive oil: I use olive oil to sauté the veggies before adding in the fresh herbs and spices.
Mirepoix: Mirepoix is just a combination of diced onions, carrots, and celery. We’ll give the onions a few minutes head starts before adding in the other veggies.
Fresh ginger: sliced medallions of ginger go in with the carrots and celery so they start infusing the oil with all that goodness.
Garlic cloves: Minced or pressed garlic goes in with the fresh herbs and seasonings to help flavor the soup.
Fresh Herbs: I use fresh or dry bay leaf, fresh or dried thyme, and a handful of fresh parsley to give this soup tons of bright color and flavor. Feel free to add a sprig of rosemary or any other herbs you might have on hand!
Seasonings: I use ground turmeric, adobo seasoning, as well as a salt-free all-purpose seasoning (such as Mrs. Dash) to help flavor the soup. Adobo seasoning in this case is a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, lots of black pepper, dried oregano, and more turmeric. If you don’t happen to have any on hand, there are tons of recipes on the internet where you can just make your own!
Chicken Broth: If you’re using store-bought broth, I suggest using low sodium chicken broth to help control the amount of sodium in the soup. It’s easy to add more salt, but you can’t take it away! You can also make your own chicken broth at home easily, and then shred the chicken and use it for this recipe.
Egg Noodles: I use regular wide egg noodles and cook them for 1-2 minutes less than what’s stated on the package. Feel free to add more or fewer noodles to your liking! You can also use extra-wide noodles if you like those better!
Cooked chicken: I usually just poach chicken breasts with some onions, garlic cloves, salt, and a handful of black peppercorns. Then just shred with two forks before adding it to the soup. You can also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and just shred that up!
Lemons: I stir in both lemon zest and lemon juice into the stockpot right at the end to give this soup a little acid! It makes the soup experience even better!

dutch oven filled with chicken soup topped with parsley

A chicken noodle soup recipe that’ll make you feel better.

Sauté the veggies. Add oil to a large Dutch oven or a large stock pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the onions and give them a few minutes head start before adding the celery, carrots, and ginger slices. Cook them for a few minutes before you add the garlic, along with bay leaves, turmeric, adobo, all-purpose herb seasoning, and thyme. Allow the herbs and spices to bloom in the oil before adding the chicken broth.
Simmer.Simmer the soup until it just starts to boil. Then add the egg noodles and allow them to cook in the broth. This will help thicken your soup a bit. When the noodles are almost done, stir in the chicken and heat it through. Add more broth or a splash of water if the soup is getting too thick.
Finish and serve. Turn the heat off. Fish out and discard the bay leaves (and thyme if it was fresh.) Stir in the lemon zest, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice, and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper to your taste.

Why this is the best Flu fighter chicken noodle soup:

Ground Turmeric: this ingredient may have become trendy in recent years but its healing properties date way back. The anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric help combat the common symptoms of the flu.
Black pepper: has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Black pepper also contains an abundance of vitamins C which will help boost the body’s immune system.
Ginger: helps reduce inflammation in the body and aids in soothing a sore throat.
Garlic: If you’ve cooked one or more things from this blog, you know that we really love our garlic. And although garlic may not be an ingredient used commonly in chicken noodle, it’s something I always use as it helps regulate the guts flora which then helps rid the body of bacteria or viruses.
Carrots and Onions: the beta-carotene in carrots help combat respiratory infections. The onions aid in riding the body of viruses. Some people believe leaving 1/2 an onion in each room of the house while you have the flu can help get rid of the virus entirely! I don’t know if it’s true, nor am I willing to let my house smell like a blooming onion. But adding it to soup, that’s easy enough.
Chicken soup: Helps hydrate the body and the warming liquid helps soothe a sore throat And relieves blocked nasal passages. It’s a vitamin-loaded elixir for the body!
Lemon: Vitamin C helps boost the body’s immune system and it also aids in soothing a sore throat.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

bowl of soup on white marble with spoon and linen napkin

This recipe was originally shared Jan 2018, updated with new images, minor recipe updates, and a new post Jan 2022.

Yield: 8 servings