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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for 4 (~$11)

⏱ 55 min🍽 4 servings~2.75 $ / servingFor 4, ~11 $

A big, comforting chicken noodle soup built on chicken thighs and basic vegetables — frequently on sale. About $2.75 per serving.

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 700 g / 1.5 lb)
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 2 cups egg noodles
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt, pepper and parsley to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, add the chicken thighs, water, bouillon cubes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer 25 minutes.
  2. Remove the chicken, debone it and shred the meat. Discard skin and bones (or keep them for a future stock).
  3. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery to the broth. Simmer 10 minutes.
  4. Add the egg noodles and cook 6–8 minutes, until tender.
  5. Return the chicken to the soup, adjust seasoning and garnish with parsley before serving.

A good chicken noodle soup is the meal that stretches your budget without feeling like you're cutting corners. The key: use chicken thighs instead of breasts. They often cost half as much, have more flavour, and their bones make a rich broth — for free.

Built on frequently-discounted ingredients

Chicken (especially thighs and drumsticks), carrots, celery and onion are among the items that show up most often on sale in Quebec flyers. They're pantry-staple basics: you don't have to wait for a specific week to make this soup cheaply.

For 4 large servings, the total comes to around $11, or ~$2.75 per serving — and the recipe doubles easily for the freezer.

The homemade broth trick

Instead of buying boxed stock, we make it right from the chicken thighs and two cubes. Not only is it cheaper, the broth tastes far better. Keep the bones in a freezer bag: with a few carcasses you can make a full batch of stock another time.

To stretch it even further

Add a diced potato or a handful of rice in place of some of the noodles. A drained can of chickpeas adds protein for pennies.

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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for 4 (~$11) | JustShoppingSmart