Alton Brown Chicken Soup Recipe

This silky, robust Alton Brown Chicken Soup is made with a whole chicken, fresh garden aromatics, and wide egg noodles, ready in about 2 hours. By cooking the pasta separately and starting the stock with cold water, you achieve a crystal-clear broth and perfectly textured noodles every time. I finally stopped serving cloudy, starchy soup once I adopted this technique-driven method.

The Secret To Getting It Right

I used to think chicken soup was just a “dump and boil” situation, but my results were always inconsistent—sometimes the noodles turned to mush, or the broth looked like dishwater. What I learned from Alton Brown’s approach is that temperature control and timing are everything. Starting with cold water allows proteins to coagulate slowly and float to the top as scum, which you can easily skim off for that professional, jewel-like clarity.

The biggest game-changer, however, is treating the noodles as a garnish rather than an ingredient to be boiled in the pot. By cooking them separately and adding them to the bowl right before serving, you prevent them from drinking up all your hard-earned broth and releasing excess starch. It adds one extra pot to wash, but the difference in texture is worth every second of scrubbing.

Alton Brown Chicken Soup Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds), rinsed and giblets removed
• 4 quarts water (or enough to just cover the bird)
• 1 large onion, quartered (for stock)
• 1 medium onion, diced (for soup base)
• 4 carrots, 2 roughly chopped (for stock) and 2 sliced into half-moons (for soup)
• 4 celery stalks, 2 roughly chopped (for stock) and 2 sliced (for soup)
• 1 head garlic, halved horizontally
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 package (12 oz) wide egg noodles
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional but recommended)

How To Make Alton Brown Chicken Soup

1. Build the Stock: Place the whole chicken, quartered onion, rough-chopped carrots, rough-chopped celery, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a large stockpot. Pour in cold water to cover the ingredients by one inch.
2. Simmer Gently: Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce to a low simmer. Do not let it boil vigorously, or the fat will emulsify and cloud the broth. Simmer uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours, skimming foam from the surface occasionally.
3. Strain and Shred: Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board to cool. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl or pot; discard the soggy vegetables. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and discard the bones and skin.
4. Build the Soup Base: In the rinsed stockpot, add the reserved clear broth, diced onion, sliced carrots, sliced celery, and dried thyme. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through.
5. Cook Noodles Separately: While the soup finishes, bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the egg noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.
6. Finish and Serve: Stir the parsley and lemon juice into the soup. Taste and adjust salt. To serve, place a portion of cooked noodles in a bowl and ladle the hot soup and chicken over them.

Recipe Tips

• The Cold Water Start: Always start your stock with cold water. Hot water seals the chicken proteins too quickly, trapping impurities inside that later cloud the broth. Cold water extracts maximum flavor and gelatin.
• Don’t Skip the Acid: Alton Brown often finishes soups with a hit of acid. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice right at the end brightens the heavy, savory flavors and makes the chicken taste more “chicken-y.”
• Skim Often: For the first 20 minutes of simmering, keep a ladle handy. Removing the gray foam (scum) that rises to the top ensures your final soup is clean and appetizing.
• Cooling Safety: If you aren’t eating immediately, cool the stock quickly by placing the pot in a sink filled with ice water before refrigerating. This prevents bacteria growth.

What To Serve With Chicken Soup

A crusty loaf of sourdough or a baguette is essential for dipping into the rich, golden broth. For a lighter contrast, serve this with a crisp green salad dressed in a sharp vinaigrette to cut through the savory richness of the chicken fat.

How To Store

Store the soup (broth, chicken, and vegetables) and the noodles in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you mix them, the noodles will bloat and disintegrate. The soup base freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, but you should freeze it without the noodles.

FAQs

• Can I use a pressure cooker? Yes. To follow the “Alton Brown style” pressure cooker method, cook the stock (chicken and rough veg) on high pressure for 30 minutes, then quick release, strain, and finish the soup on the sauté setting.
• Why is my soup cloudy? Cloudy soup usually happens because the stock was boiled too hard, emulsifying the fat into the liquid. Keep it at a gentle, lazy bubble—never a rolling boil.
• Can I use rotisserie chicken? You can. Strip the meat for the soup and use the carcass to make the stock as described. It saves time but still gives you that homemade bone broth depth.
• Do I have to use egg noodles? No, but wide egg noodles are traditional. Rotini, shells, or even rice work well, but the rule remains: cook them separately for the best texture.

Nutrition

• Calories: 310 kcal
• Total Fat: 12g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 85mg
• Sodium: 1150mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 28g
• Protein: 26g

Try More Recipes:

• Alton Brown Chicken Stock Recipe
• Alton Brown Chicken Wings Recipe
• Alton Brown 40 Cloves and a Chicken Recipe