Use Egg Noodles In Chicken Noodle Soup For Even More Flavor

When the weather gets cold, the cold make soup. And while there are plenty of yummy recipes to whip up during soup season, no dish warms us to our bones quite like an old-school chicken noodle. Hearty, flavorful, and imbued with nostalgia, the classic comfort food is practically an essential when it comes to snuggling up on cozy winter nights — or fighting off the sniffles. Whenever and however we enjoy it, chicken noodle soup has the ability to make us feel better, physically and spiritually. Hey, there's a reason some call the dish "Grandma's Penicillin."

But even if you're long past the days of eating soup in your grandmother's kitchen, you can still apply plenty of her pointers when making chicken noodle soup. One of the best ways to achieve the perfect batch? Using egg noodles in your recipe.

Although you can technically use any type of noodle in the dish, including various varieties of Italian pasta, egg noodles are the ideal pick if you're looking to add some richer flavor and texture to your soup. Many types of noodles, including pasta and Japanese ramen, are typically made from just wheat and water. Egg noodles, as their name suggests, include the addition of egg, which creates a more tender, fluffier, and savory result. Not only do they have their own flavorful footprint, but they also match — and easily absorb — the savoriness of an herby chicken broth, ensuring each slurp is as tasty as can be.

Whether you use the long and flat kind, the curly ribbon version, or opt to make them from scratch, adding egg noodles to your chicken soup is a surefire way to achieve a heartier, more filling meal. As a bonus, the light noodles can be cooked directly in your broth, making the soup a convenient, one-pot meal.

Since egg noodles are meant to be eaten soft, rather than al dente, you can leave them to be cooked in liquid for a longer period of time without worrying too much about overcooking them. In Tasting Table's easy chicken noodle soup recipe, recipe developer Jaime Shelbert recommends adding the egg noodles to the pot once the broth starts boiling, allowing them to cook for about 10 minutes before adding in pre-prepared rotisserie chicken. However, you'll want to consider exactly how long you'll be waiting between making and eating your soup in order to determine the best time to add the noodles. If you're planning to eat the soup a long while after preparing it, you should cook the noodles separately and add them to the pot just before serving to prevent them from getting too soggy.

Given the fact that egg noodles are popular all over the world, it's more than likely that your grandma, whatever your background, used some in the soup recipe you remember. So if you're craving a comforting blast from the past, egg noodles are the way to go.