The chicken noodle soup at Tim Hortons is so warm and comforting. I used to always have it for lunch, so I wanted to try making it at home. The recipe is really tasty because I use rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts. If you have a membership card, I recommend going to Costco for the chicken.
Can't get enough of Tims? Try my Cream of Broccoli Soup too!
๐ฒ About This Recipe
The Tim Hortons chicken noodle soup has everything you need for a good soup. It's got flavorful chicken, plenty of vegetables like celery, carrots, red peppers, and peas, and pasta to make it more filling. A piece of crispy bread on the side wraps everything together.
Most restaurant soups have a much thicker consistency than homemade soups. Tim Hortons is no exception. For this recipe, I'm using cornstarch to thicken it. It will need to be combined with water to make a "cornstarch slurry" so that it doesn't clump up.
๐ Replicating At Home
I decided to consult the internet and found the ingredient list for their canned version on the Superstore website:
Water, Chicken, Baby Shells Pasta, Carrots, Green Peas, Red Bell Peppers, Modified Corn Starch, Chicken Broth, Chicken Fat, Salt, Seasonings, Potassium Chloride, Dehydrated Onions, Yeast Extract, Sugars, Onion Powder, Dehydrated Parsley, Garlic Powder, Beta-carotene, Spices, Carrot Powder, Natural Flavours.
We can base on recipe on this. Most of the ingredients are clear, but many of the spices are hidden under "Seasonings" or "Spices." They list onion powder, garlic powder, dehydrated parsley, and carrot powder, but the rest is a bit of a mystery. I don't know what carrot powder is, so I'm just going to use regular carrots.
One important ingredient is yeast extract. This adds a ton of umami to foods. It's commonly used by food manufacturers, but you can actually purchase it from regular grocery stores. The most popular brand is Marmite. You can usually find it in the baking section of grocery stores.
๐ง Ingredients
- Chicken: I recommend using a rotisserie chicken as it's already very well-flavored. Costco has hands down the best rotisserie chicken.
- Vegetables: Celery, carrots, red pepper, and green peas.
- Spices: Black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, and salt.
- Chicken Stock: I highly recommend making this soup with homemade stock. Here is a good,ย simple recipe. The next best choice is Better than Bouillon roasted chicken base, but keep in mind that it's saltier than most stocks so be careful with the salt.
- Marmite: This stuff is really hard and sticky, so it's hard to measure with measuring spoons. Just try to aim for one teaspoon, it doesn't have to be exact.
- Butter: For sauteing the vegetables.
- Pasta: Any pasta will work but Tim Horton's uses baby shell pasta.
- Vinegar: This is really important to liven up the soup. If it's lacking in flavor, it's probably lacking in acid.
- Cornstarch: For thickening the soup.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta shells until al dente (about 7-10 minutes). Remove them from the pot and set aside. I prefer my pasta a little underdone at this step and then finish cooking them in the soup.
STEP 2: Add butter, diced celery, and carrots to a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes. Add red peppers and green peas and cook for another 2 minutes.
STEP 3: Add chicken stock and season with black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Marmite yeast extract, and dried parsley. Taste the soup and then add salt if necessary. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
STEP 4: Add vinegar and rotisserie chicken. Combine cornstarch with three tablespoons of water and stir it into the soup. Allow the soup to come to a simmer to thicken properly. Taste and add more seasonings if needed.
STEP 5: Finally, divide the cooked pasta into serving bowls and ladle in the soup. Enjoy!
The soup will keep well in the fridge for around 4-5 days. Store the pasta shells separately from the soup so they don't get soggy.
๐ Recipe
Copycat Tim Hortons Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 ribs celery (diced)
- 3 medium carrots (diced)
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 10 cups chicken stock, low-sodium (homemade stock is the best, but if you don't have it, I highly recommend Better than Bouillon)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley)
- 1 teaspoon marmite
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cup shell pasta (or your pasta of choice)
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken meat
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Strain the pasta and set aside.
- Add butter, diced celery, and carrots to a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 minutes. Add red peppers and green peas and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add chicken stock and season with black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Marmite yeast extract, and dried parsley. Taste the soup and then add salt if necessary. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add vinegar and rotisserie chicken.
- Mix cornstarch with three tablespoons of water, stir into the soup, and bring to a simmer to thicken. Taste and add more seasonings if needed.
- Divide the cooked pasta into serving bowls and ladle in the soup. Enjoy!
Fraser MacLean
An amazing soup. Timmies should use this recipe ๐
Used the three person recipe and it was enough for six! Found marmite at the Canadian superstore and it does add that bit of flavour to the mix. All the ingredients and prep times worked out. Has now become our goto comfort soup for the upcoming fall.!