The 3 Simple Ingredients Anne Burrell Used To Elevate Chicken Noodle Soup

Anne Burrell became a Food Network icon not just for her many television appearances, but also for her culinary risks and innovation. Even something as simple as her chicken noodle soup recipe received some upgrades, expanding its flavor profile with cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon.

You may associate cinnamon and nutmeg more closely with mulled wine and comforting Middle Eastern stews, but they pair incredibly well with a hearty chicken stock. Underseasoning is a major mistake everyone makes when cooking chicken noodle soup; some tend to focus on directly flavoring the chicken or vegetables. However, by adding a couple of dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg to your stock or broth, you impart a homey aroma to your recipe, infusing it with comforting spices that pair well with other flavors like chicken, onion, and salt. Just a teaspoon of each is enough to impart warm spice flavor while still letting the meat do the heavy lifting when it comes to taste.

But what really sets Burrell's recipe apart is squeezing one lemon into the stock and then letting it simmer. Lemon juice is a powerhouse ingredient that cuts through cooking and chicken fat, bringing other flavors to the surface for a more complex-tasting meal. The result is something just as homey and comforting, but far more delicious. While you should never overthink your chicken noodle soup ingredients, incorporating lemon, nutmeg, and cinnamon broadens your options, allowing you to mix and match for different flavor profiles.

While traditional chicken noodle soup may lean more heavily on herbs, Anne Burrell's recipe opens new flavor doors that are just easy to walk through. Whether you're capitalizing on the mulled earthiness of cinnamon and nutmeg or leaning on citrusy lemon to tantalize your taste buds, these ingredients are as practical as they are delicious.

If you want to lean into how hearty and satisfying chicken noodle soup can be, consider adding mushrooms. White button mushrooms are relatively mild and absorb spices well while still adding bulk to your soup. Portabellos, on the other hand, have enough flavor that warm spices won't overpower them. If you're looking for more flavor than substance, you can always try soaking some dried mushrooms in a pot of water, then boiling your noodles in it to infuse them with an extra umami punch without taking up any room in your bowl.

Lemon is great at cutting through fat, so why not add more? While chicken thighs may be too much for a typical chicken noodle soup, the acidity of Burrell's recipe helps brighten even the heartiest of meats. You can even roast your chicken thighs ahead of time and use all that delicious rendered fat to saute your veggies for a meatier soup. Chicken fat burns at around 375 degrees Fahrenheit, making it perfect for browning up some veggies.