Gluten free chicken noodle soup

This gluten free chicken noodle soup is one of those meals my children go nuts for. As soon as they know we are having a roast chicken the request for this chicken soup comes along. I make it gluten free, not because it is any healthier but because I am not able to eat wheat and so it makes it easy for us all to partake in the one meal.

Whilst you don’t have to make the chicken stock yourself I really do recommend it for the extra flavour and there could be some health benefits too. The actual evidence for the benefits of bone broth are limited as the research just hasn’t been done. So I am nor going to tell you it is a miracle cure for your cold or anything else. However it is a food that has been made as a healing broth for hundreds of years. It definitely will not do any harm and it’s a great way to make full use of that chicken carcass.

Other benefits: this gluten free chicken noodle soup can easily be made vegan, vegetarian and into a low sodium chicken noodle soup too. Customise it using whatever veggies you have around to make it an economical meal.

How to make bone broth taste better:

Bone broth is homemade stock made from cooking the bones of your meat. In this case chicken stock. If you have ever made watery stock and been heartily disappointed I hear you. My best tip is to use a pressure cooker (I use my instant pot) as it just saves time and energy. If you don’t have a pressure cooker you can also boil your bones for longer. Ideally you want that stock to get thick, deep in colour and gelatinous.

To make your own chicken stock:

• Place the bones from your chicken carcass into your pressure cooker. I’m using a 1 kg chicken as an example. Include any left over skin from the bird too.
• Cover with water, about 2 litres (double water).
• For that flavour hit add in 1 onion cut into quarters, some chunks of carrots, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp each of cumin and ginger, black peppercorns.
• Pressure cook for 60-90 minutes or simmer on the hob for 2-3 hours.
• Strain the stock and you can store it in the fridge for a week or freeze it in portions to use in other meals.

Pro Tip: if you aren’t ready to make your chicken stock yet or you just don’t have enough bones, you can make a bone bag. Pop your leftover bones in a freezer bag and freeze them until you have enough bones and time.

Other noodle soup variations:

Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup

• Whilst this sounds a little back to front it is easy to do and still super tasty. Either make or buy a tasty vegetable stock. Personally I would probably buy one out of laziness but here’s how you can make your own vegetable broth using the scraps you probably have in the kitchen alreadyy!
• Make everything as below (omit the fish sauce) and add in tofu instead of chicken. Trust me on this, freezing the tofu first and then defrosting helps it soak up even more of the soup flavour when you use it. I’d highly recommend keeping your tofu sliced and in the freezer to grab and use.

Spicy Chicken noodle soup:

• This soup is so good spiced up! Try adding in lemongrass, cayenne pepper, some chopped chilli and paprika. Adding pak choi and beansprouts transform it into a delicious Asian dish that is good enough for a dinner party.

Low sodium chicken noodle soup:

• If you are wanting a low sodium variation then you can switch the soy sauce for a lower sodium version. The stock will already be low salt if you made it yourself.

Other uses for your homemade chicken stock:

I’m a huge fan of homemade stock. It just makes meals taste so good! So if you have any leftover here are some ideas of how to use it:

• Add it to a risotto for that flavour and depth of taste.
• It works brilliantly in any other soups you are making too.
• Perfect as the stock in a casserole or stew.
• If you enjoy it then it can also be heated up and drunk on its own.
• Pop it in the freezer in a portioned tub or freezer bag ready for the next time you need some stock.