Cooking Time & Servings

Connecticut Cottage Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

This easy chicken noodle soup recipe turns Frontier Soups Connecticut Cottage Chicken Noodle Soup Mix into a comforting homemade meal with tender chicken and savory vegetables. Ready in about 30 minutes, it's a simple classic for busy weeknights, chilly days, or whenever you need a cozy bowl of soup.

Ingredients

You Will Need

Instructions

Here's What You Do

  1. In a 3 or 4-quart pot, bring broth and water to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in chicken and contents of the soup mix.
  2. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with cornbread or soft roll.

Got leftovers? Learn how to cool, store, and reheat soup safely in our guide to soup storage and food safety.

Cooking & Nutrition Tips

Use the tips below to customize nutrition, boost flavor, or stretch the soup to fit your needs.

Reducing Sodium

Broth:

To reduce sodium, use an alternative broth such as: low-sodium, organic, stock, bone broth, unsalted, or try making a homemade broth.  See chart below to compare.

All our mixes contain no added salt, only what occurs naturally in the ingredients.  In the interest of transparency, we use regular (full-sodium) store-bought broth to create our recipes and calculate the nutrition panels — which is why the sodium levels may appear higher than you desire. 

While we don’t like it from a health standpoint, salt is a major flavor booster.  If you are using reduced sodium broth and looking to enhance flavor, try adding these depending on your preferences: fresh ground pepper, herbs & spices, lemon juice, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, hot-sauce, flavored vinegar.

Variety (1 cup) Sodium (mg) % Daily Value
Standard Broth 860 mg 37%
Low-Sodium Broth 570 mg 25%
Organic Broth 550 mg 24%
Stock 510 mg 22%
Bone Broth 400 mg 17%
Organic Low-Sodium Broth 100 mg 4%
Unsalted Broth 35 mg 2%

Boosting Protein

  • Add ½ cup – 1 cup 4% cottage cheese. This will make the soup creamier. If using cottage cheese, we highly recommend you: 1) liquify/smooth entirely in blender or with immersion blender before adding, and 2) turn off the heat and let the soup cool slightly before adding so it does not curdle and/or lose its silky texture.  See chart below for nutritional info.
  • Add a can of your favorite bean such as black, white/cannellini, lentil, chickpea, navy, etc.
  • Add additional chicken, you can increase chicken to 20-24 oz.
  • Swap standard broth for bone broth.
Nutrient Per 1 Cup Full-Fat 4% Cottage Cheese
Protein ~23 – 25 g
Calories ~220 – 240 kcal
Total Fat ~9 – 10 g
Sodium ~820 – 850 mg

Nutritious Options/Swaps: 

  • Toss in whatever vegetables you have in the fridge and simmer with soup mix.
  • Use skinless chicken breast in place of higher-fat cuts.
  • Add 1 cup chopped leeks or parsnips along with the soup mix.
  • For a quick shortcut, toss in ½ a box of frozen mixed vegetables during the final 5 minutes of cooking.
  • Add ½ cup quick-cooking brown rice or quinoa along with 1 cup water.

Starting with Raw Chicken

Our recommendations:

  1. Sear Option: In 3 or 4-quart pot, heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sear 4-5 minutes per side.  Remove chicken to cutting board to cool.  Begin recipe as stated, bring broth and water to boil then reduce heat, add soup mix, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, dice or shred the cooled chicken and add to pot.  Simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.  Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Poach Option: Bring broth and water to a boil. Reduce heat, add raw chicken, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in soup mix, simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove chicken to a cutting board to cool.  Cover pot and simmer for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, shred or dice chicken, add back to pot, and simmer covered for 5-10 minutes.  Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
  3. Simmer Option: Begin recipe as normal and simply add cubed raw chicken at the same time you would normally add cooked chicken and soup mix. Proceed as normal.  Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
  4. Rotisserie Chicken Shortcut: Use shredded rotisserie chicken and add extra vegetables like celery, onion, carrots, peas, or corn for a heartier soup.

Chicken Noodle Soup Variations

Chicken Noodle Soup Serving Ideas

Top with fresh garnishes like parsley, dill, or a squeeze of lemon for brightness, and serve with rustic bread, grilled cheese, or biscuits. Classic sides include tossed salads, crackers, or even mashed potatoes.

White Wine Finish

Add ½ cup white wine during the last 10 minutes of cooking for a brighter, slightly richer broth.

Frontier Soups Fried Rice

A fun twist that transforms the mix into a savory rice dish.

You Will Also Need:

  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 4 cups chicken broth

Here’s What You Do:

  1. Sauté the rice in butter until lightly toasted.
  2. Stir in the contents of the vegetable seasoning packet from the soup mix.
  3. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes.
  4. Add the noodles and continue simmering about 10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the white wine during the final minutes of cooking and serve.

Extra Pasta Version: Prefer more noodles? Add additional pasta during the final 10 minutes of cooking and increase the broth slightly to compensate.

Root Veggie Boost: Add diced yuca (cassava) or taro along with extra corn for a heartier, globally inspired variation.

Barley Addition: Stir in a handful of barley to create a thicker, more rustic broth.

Inspired by our customers. Thanks to David A., Ike, and C. Christian for sharing their ideas. Have a favorite twist of your own? Send us an email or leave a review on the product page.

Dietary Adaptations

Vegan/Vegetarian

Option #1

We simply substituted vegetables for chicken in this super easy recipe.

You Will Also Need:

Here’s What You Do:

  1. Check preparation steps for your preferred chicken substitute and edit recipe below as needed.
  2. In a 3 or 4-quart pot, bring broth and water to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in chicken replacement and contents of the soup mix.
  3. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
  4. Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with cornbread or soft roll.
Substitute Best Mimic Style Texture Hold-Up in Broth Cooking Tip Ratio to Replace 1 lb Cooked Chicken
Commercial Chick'n
(Daring, Beyond, Gardein, etc)		 Diced or Shredded (varies by product) Good to Very Good (if unbreaded) Add during the last 10–15 minutes of cooking so the starches holding it together don't break down into the broth. 1:1 by Weight
(16 oz ready-to-use)
Soy Curls Shredded Excellent
(Stays chewy & fibrous)		 Rehydrate in warm vegetable or "no-chicken" broth for 10 minutes before adding to the soup so they absorb maximum flavor. 1:3 Ratio (Dry to Wet)
(~5.5 oz / 3.5 cups dry expands to 16 oz)
Seitan
(Wheat Meat)		 Diced Excellent
(Stays firm & dense)		 Cut into ½-inch cubes; can be simmered from the very beginning of the cook time without getting soft or soggy. 1:1 by Weight
(16 oz ready-to-use)
Extra-Firm Tofu Diced Very Good
(If pre-treated)		 Press out water, dice, and bake at 400°F for 15 mins before adding to soup to create a firm "skin" that won't absorb too much liquid. 1:1 by Weight
(16 oz pressed tofu / ~1 standard block)
Young Green Jackfruit Shredded Moderate
(Softens over time)		 Rinse well, cut off the hard triangular core pieces, and add near the end of cooking so it retains a bit of chew. 1.5:1 Ratio (Raw Canned to Yield)
(28 oz / two 14 oz cans trims down to ~16 oz)

Option #2

You Will Also Need:

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 6 cups Vegetable broth (48 oz.)
  • 1 Red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small can cream-style corn (15 oz.)

Here’s What You Do:

  1. Heat oil in a 3 or 4-quart pot, sauté red pepper about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, stir in contents of soup mix.
  2. Add broth and canned corn, undrained. Raise heat to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low for 15-20 minutes.
  3. Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes, and serve.

Gluten Free

This soup is naturally gluten free when prepared as directed. No special substitutions are needed.

Dairy Free

This soup is naturally dairy free when prepared as directed. No special substitutions are needed.

Cooking Methods

Slow Cooker

We do not recommend using a slow cooker due to the short cooking time on the stovetop.

Pressure Cooker

We do not recommend using a pressure cooker due to the short cooking time on the stovetop.