20-Minute Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (2024)

FAQs

What adds sweetness to soup? ›

Sugar: A pinch of sugar softens the edges of anything that tastes too sour or harsh (looking at you, tomato-based soups).

Sweet potatoes, of course! They give the soup its sweet flavor, vibrant color, and luscious texture. An apple – It brings out the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.

The best options for thickening soup are cream or half and half. Plain yogurt or even freshly grated cheese works well and adds an extra layer of tangy, salty flavor. Add the dairy at the end and avoid bringing the soup to a boil since this can cause yogurt, cheese, or cream to split.

Add noodles or rice, veggies (carrots, celery, onion, spinach, kale, garlic, broccoli, etc), chicken chunks or pulled chicken, and throw a cinnamon stick in there. Maybe some lemon juice and fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc) and you've got a super flavorful soup with a little hint of spice.

As the name suggests, chicken soup is a meaty dish, with chicken as the dominant flavor. If your chicken soup leans too sweet, you should scale back the amount of vegetables you add to the broth. Celery, carrots, and any other additions are meant to enhance the taste of the chicken, adding depth and variety.

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.

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

Like salt, sugar is added to tomato soup to offset the acidity of tomatoes and to help enhance the flavor. Other than salt and sugar, many soups have heavy cream added for consistency and to add body. Cream-based soups, such as chowders and bisques, are high in calories and saturated fat.

Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

What kind of cream is used in soups? ›

A cream soup is a soup prepared using cream, light cream, half and half, or milk as a key ingredient. Sometimes the dairy product is added at the end of the cooking process, such as after a cream soup has been puréed.

Wolff recommends jazzing up chicken noodle soup with “interesting toppings, like spices, sauces, or drizzles.” For example, harissa—a North African chili paste—gives the broth complexity and heat. The Middle Eastern seasoning blend za'atar would also be a nice touch, adding rich, earthy character to the soup.

Season it. Salt and pepper are the basic ones. Adding soup base is another good way to kick it up a notch as is adding a little acid.

It can take a cacophony of flavors and sync them into perfect harmony. It both balances and awakens them. Plus, if you accidentally add too much salt to your soup, a little vinegar will tame the saltiness.

Adding spices can enhance the taste of food. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice, mace, cardamom and star anise are commonly associated with sweetness. These spices are often used in baked goods and pair especially well with fruit dishes. Vanilla extract can also make food seem sweeter, perhaps due to its aroma.

Adding a small amount of sugar can make any dish more savory flavor. It's a common technique in Chinese cuisine. For your soup, try adding half a teaspoon of sugar for every four cup of liquid. It should improve the taste subtly.

Adding lime juice can to your dish can balance out the sweetness. In case, you don't want too much of tanginess in the dish you can also add vinegar white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar.

Add a splash of white wine.

Depending on the wine, a splash of wine can either enhance store-brought broth with a subtle sweetness or a nice acidity. This is another addition that is best made at the end of cooking.