Easy Chicken Noodle & Vegetable Soup : Food Jar Recipe

Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup (aka The Lunch That Comes Home Empty)

There's something about sending the kids off with a warm soup on a chilly morning that just feels like a win, isn't there? This is my go-to chicken noodle.  Nothing fancy, just proper comfort food that holds up beautifully in a food jar until lunchtime.

You'll need:

• 700g chicken thigh fillets, bone in and skin on (trust me on this — it's where all the flavour lives)
• Salt and pepper
• 1–2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 small brown onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 200g thick egg noodles (or whatever pasta is lurking in the pantry - no judgement here)
• A little chopped parsley if you're feeling fancy

Here's how:

1. Give the chicken a good sprinkle of salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in your biggest pot over medium-high heat, then pop the chicken in skin side down. Let it get lovely and golden, about 2 minutes each side and then set it aside on a plate.
3. Turn the heat right down. Tip out most of the fat (leave about a tablespoon behind - that's flavour, not mess) and add your onion, garlic, thyme and oregano. Let them soften for a couple of minutes.
4. In go the celery and carrots for another 3 minutes or so.
5. Splash in a little of the stock and give the bottom of the pot a good scrape - all those brown bits are gold.
6. Return the chicken (and any juices on the plate) to the pot, then pour in the rest of the stock and the water.
7. Bring it up to a gentle simmer, pop the lid on, and let it do its thing for 30 minutes.
8. Lift the chicken out, and while the noodles cook in the soup, peel off the skin and shred the meat with two forks. This is a great job to hand to a helper if you've got one hovering.
9. Pop the shredded chicken back in, taste, and season until it's just right.

Jodie's food jar tips:

• Fill your food jar with boiling water for 5 minutes before you pack the soup — this little step is the difference between "warm-ish" and properly hot at lunchtime.
• Reheat the soup until it's piping hot before it goes in. Hot in = hot at lunch.
• If you're making this the night before, keep in mind the noodles will keep drinking up the broth in the fridge — a splash of extra stock when you reheat sorts it right out.