We have fresh tarragon growing out the wazoo. That’s a terribly vulgar way to put it, I know. And, depending on what you consider a wazoo to be, it would likely be considered a medical emergency if we actually did have tarragon growing out of it. But it is truly remarkable, how much fresh tarragon we have growing on our windowsill. The thyme is doing nicely, and the rosemary is too, but the tarragon is all over the place, almost crowding out the other herbs. And all the recipes I can find for tarragon take only a teaspoon or so, hardly enough to make a dent in our tarragon stockpile.
Every time I come across a good looking tarragon recipe, I bookmark it. But this soup is one that just came to me on it’s own. I was thinking how nicely lemon and tarragon go with chicken, which set me to thinking about a lemon chicken soup I’d once had long ago. It was a greek-style soup, with orzo and egg yolks, and I remember being surprised at how nice the addition of lemon was to a soup. For my own soup, I wanted a lighter broth, with noodles in it to make a heartier family meal. I found a lemon chicken soup from Giada De Laurentis that I used as a very basic guide, although I increased the overall amounts, skipped the parmesan and romano cheeses, and used egg noodles instead of spaghetti. And, obviously, added in tarragon.
Egg noodles are not exactly kind to diabetics, so for my portion, I added shirataki noodles instead. I was surprised by how well this turned out. I haven’t loved these low carb noodles heretofore, as they can be rather rubbery and have a slightly odd taste when you try to use them as pasta. But in this soup, they were perfect. The texture didn’t seem rubbery at all and the was no hint of that odd flavour. If you wanted to make the whole batch of soup low carb, you could simply add 3 or 4 packages of shirataki noodles and not miss out on anything.
The Results: This one was a hit with the whole family. Children tend tolike chicken noodle soup, and neither the lemon nor the tarragon were overpowering enough to turn my kids off. I myself would have liked the lemon to stand out a bit more, but my husband thought the flavour was just right. It was a light, refreshing broth with the slight anise flavour from tarragon, and lovely chunks of chicken and noodles. It made an excellent dinner the first night and the leftovers were good for lunches and quick meals.
Lemon Tarragon Chicken Noodle Soup
This recipe has been included in our cookbook, Low-Carbing Among Friends, Vol. 1. It is available for purchase at AmongFriends.us or at Amazon.com.
Michael (TheFlavourJunkie) says
This kind of soup would keep me warm and happy through the cold months to come. Looks great, Carolyn!
Foodiva says
I like the sound of your portion with shirataki noodles! This colorful and aromatic chicken-lemon-tarragon soup seems not only hearty, I bet it warms the soul too… ;-). This one I'm definitely bookmarking!
baking.serendipity says
There is nothing better than chicken noodle soup. I've tried really hard to grow out my little kid taste buds, but a bowl of this and a grilled cheese is the perfect winter meal. What a great way to use some of that tarragon!
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
It sounds delightful! Tarragon is one of those herbs that just doesn't get used enough!
Sandra says
Wow, this soup look and sound amazing! Thanks Carolyn for sharing!
Boulder Locavore says
This caught my eye as it sounds delicious. The flavor combination would be wonderful and perfect on a brisk day.
My first thought was I'd need to swap the noodles with something to make it gluten free. Then I noted your label/tag of 'gluten free'. I'm unfamiliar with Shirataki noodles, are they gluten free?
Thanks for such a yummy post!
Imwaytoobusy says
Your soup photos are gorgeous. Nice work! 🙂
Sommer J says
Tarragon is such a lovely herb!!! I attempted to grow some last year. It was the easiest of everything, but still died! My daughter and baby would love this, my son, however may be hard! I wish shiritaki noodles were available here!!! We do need some low carb stuffs!!
Tes says
I love noodle soup. Your soup looks so comforting and healthy. I love that it has so lovely color combination.
Amy Bakes Everything says
This just looks like a big ol' warm hug…I love love love lemon and would never have thought to put it in soup
Yesim says
loved it, healthy and delicious..
Belinda @zomppa says
Not a bad problem to have! Great flavorful soup – thanks for keeping chicken noodle soup interesting!
Emma says
Well this just looks fantastic, I love fresh dishes like this, it looks very appealing.
Elisabeth says
I love chicken with tarragon, but never paired it in the soup. This is so yummy, and so refreshing with the lemon, as well.
Carolyn-Congratulation!…you are the winner of my giveaway coffee cakes cookbook.
Please write to me at my e-mail address, and give me your address, so I can send it out to you, by
Tues. Nov. 30.
I'm thrilled that you are the winner, and enjoy the book!
Joanne says
Yeah having tarragon growing out your wazoo would definitely require a trip to the emergency room. Or the ICU. But growing out of your windowsill…not such a problem. This soup sounds delicious!
Susi says
Carolyn, the soup looks so comforting and delicious and I love the addition of tarragon and lemon which is something I would have not thought of adding to chicken soup. Great recipe :o)
Mrs K says
Hi Carolyn,Congratulation on winning the give away :)Elizabeth's recent post lead me to your blog. I am so glad to be here,you have fantastic recipes,I have browsed through pictures,and the pumpkin cheese cake is to die for I don't think I will wait till next year to have this. The soup looks so welcoming for the cold cold nights,the color palatte makes it so healthy and flavorful.I will keep coming back for more recipes here,and have added myself to your list of followers 🙂
briarrose says
Yum! I love chicken noodle soup, esp this time of year. I wouldn't have thought to toss in tarragon…it isn't one of my go to seasonings….I will have to try it out.
Sprinkles of Parsley says
I love soup… and have been craving chicken noodle soup! I'm definitely trying this out. I love the lemon and tarragon twist- great idea!
michelangelo in the kitchen says
Excellent idea for chicken soup. Lemon and tarragon must taste really good. Thanks for sharing your innovative recipe! Got to try this pronto! Cheers!
Ela says
i usually had roasted chicken w/ tarragon and lemon. now this is another way to cook it. great for this cool December nights.
congratulations on winning the cookbook.
Chef Chuck says
This soup would be great on these cold nights!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Lindsey says
This chicken noodle soup sounds amazing! Such a perfect comfort food for a cold winter day!
Stephanie says
That soup looks so comforting and healthy! A great change of pace from all the Thanksgiving-y type foods these past few weeks. It looks like it would be one of those easy, relaxing kinds of meals to make, too. I love that.
Stella says
You're too funny, Carolyn. You know, tarragon is one of my favorite herbs (dried or fresh). It's so underrated. I can only imagine how wonderful a bowl of this soup must be. Yum!
Rich says
Wow – that looks great! Tarragon, coincidentally, is one of my favorite herbs, and my second favorite that starts with a T. Thyme's a tough one to beat.
Emily (For Sweets Sake) says
mmm tarragon is so good!
Dimah says
This soup sounds wonderful! Love the flavors!
smalltownoven says
This would be perfect for my current sore throat 🙁
Emily Z says
What a nice soup, I love all the soup recipes popping up this time of year! Nothing better in the colder weather!
The Mom Chef says
That soup is definitely gorgeous. You're right about it being a perfect combination for the tarragon.
Regarding the wazoo thing; yeah, that's gross.
Regarding the tarragon, dry the extra and use it when there isn't any more.
Anonymous says
Pikir saya akan komentar dan mengatakan tema rapi, apakah Anda membuatnya sendiri? Benar-benar luar biasa!
Pretty. Good. Food. says
Sounds quick and yummy, I love it :)!
Anonymous says
How can i ask you for more details? Great post needda know more….
Carolyn says
Anon – my email is on my "about" page but I will leave it here too…
carcur35 (at) yahoo (dot) com