Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup (2024)

FAQs

Why do you put lemon juice in chicken noodle soup? ›

What's more comforting than chicken noodle soup? I use a bit of lemon juice in mine to brighten up the flavor, and it adds such a welcome element. I love to use a fun pasta shape for a soup like this, such as farfalline or gnocchetti.

The time to add lemon juice to your soup is just before eating and not a moment sooner. You don't want to cook (or reheat) citrus in your soup, not even for a minute or two, or it'll lose its punch and may turn bitter.

While adding vinegar won't reduce the amount of sodium in the pot, the sharp tang of this condiment can help equal out the salty flavor on your tastebuds, masking the brininess of an oversalted soup and making it easier to eat.

If your little one is battling the flu or a cold, chicken soup can help in a few ways. It may support the body's immune response, provide hydration and replenish electrolytes, moisten mucus, and even soothe a sore throat.

Like pickling, smoking, and curing, the practice of rinsing chicken with lemon juice probably started out as a way to neutralize any off-aromas in the meat and cut down on bacteria.

For a deeply flavorful chicken soup, get some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, season them, brown them in a skillet, then finish them in a 375 F oven. You can refrigerate them until you're ready to make the soup, then simply dice them up and add them to the soup at the very end.

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

In a pinch, lemon or lime juice will work as a red wine vinegar substitute. Citrus juice has a completely different flavor profile, though, so it's not our first choice. That said, using lemon juice will bring an acidic brightness to the dish that you may find more pleasing than the original recipe!

Water, Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics, Carrots, Enriched Noodles (Semolina Wheat Flour, Eggs, Egg Whites, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Celery, Contains 2% or less of: Onions, Chicken Stock, Natural Flavor, Sea Salt, Chicken Fat, Corn Starch, Garlic, Yeast Extract, Parsley, ...

Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus. The herbs and spices sometimes used in chicken soup, such as pepper and garlic, also loosen mucus. The broth, which contains water and electrolytes, helps with rehydration.

What are the benefits of adding lemon to soup? ›

Always Add An Acid To Your Soups

Lemon is arguably even more essential in richer soups like wild mushroom and rice, curried split pea, or even white bean and bacon. This is because the delicate balance of flavor profiles requires that acidic, lemony zing to cut through the fats in the soup.

Many marinades use vinegar as an acid substitute but lemon juice is more effective as it lends a citric flavor. Depending on how tender you want the chicken to be, and how zingy you want it to be, use anywhere from 1 tablespoon to ¼ cup lemon juice for marinades.

The acidity of the lemon juice can break down the chicken's proteins, resulting in a mushy texture if left in the marinade for too long. Always marinate your chicken in the refrigerator and discard any leftover marinade to ensure food safety.

Herbs: Fresh chives, thyme, or cilantro stirred in just before serving. Spices: Your soup is probably salty enough, but what about simmering a bay leaf in there for a while (don't forget to remove it before serving)? Depending on the soup's flavor profile, you could shake in some cumin or red pepper flakes.