This cozy chicken noodle soup offers a refreshing twist suitable for springtime. With familiar comfort ingredients like chicken, noodles, and broth, this soup introduces unexpected elements for a vibrant flavor. Fresh scallions, tarragon, and haricots verts (a slim French version of green beans) add a fresh touch. A rich addition of cream, freshly grated lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon juice elevate this dish to a delightful spring experience. If haricots verts are unavailable, regular green beans can be substituted by cooking them slightly longer.
Ingredients include 8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, 1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, a peeled and sliced carrot, 4 scallions (separated dark green slices), 6 ounces of dried cavatappi pasta, 8 ounces of trimmed haricots verts, 1 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt, 2 teaspoons of fresh tarragon, 2 teaspoons of lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1 cup of heavy cream, topped with freshly ground black pepper.
To prepare, bring broth, chicken, carrot, and light green and white scallion slices to a boil in a large pot. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook without disturbing until the chicken reaches 165°F, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, letting it rest for 5 minutes, then shred it into bite-size pieces.
While the chicken rests, add pasta to the pot and increase the heat to medium-high, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in the haricots verts and salt, cooking until the pasta is al dente, roughly another 5 minutes. Stir in the tarragon, lemon zest, chicken, and cream, cooking until heated through for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and mix in lemon juice and dark green scallion slices. Top the soup with freshly ground black pepper before serving.
