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The Kitchn’s Celia Funderburk tried Emily Blunt’s chicken noodle soup recipe from Stanley Tucci’s 2014 cookbook, The Tucci Table. Its optional barbecue sauce adds sweetness and umami to the broth, while roasted chicken and a two-hour simmer build flavor; the recipe takes planning and time.
The Kitchn’s Celia Funderburk has reviewed Emily Blunt’s chicken noodle soup recipe from Stanley Tucci’s 2014 cookbook, The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends, calling attention to its unexpected addition: barbecue sauce. Funderburk says the optional ingredient brought sweetness and umami to the broth, while the recipe’s roasted chicken and long simmer made it a time-intensive option for a home-cooked meal.
The recipe starts by roasting chicken legs and thighs on a lined baking sheet with sliced yellow onion, olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme. The chicken bakes for about 40 minutes. Separately, diced onion, carrot and celery are softened in a Dutch oven, followed by garlic and ginger. White wine is added and cooked down before chicken broth and bouillon cubes go into the pot.
After the broth comes to a boil, the cook shreds the chicken and adds it to the pot with the roasted onions. The recipe then calls for barbecue sauce, a bay leaf and chicken bones. Funderburk reports that the soup simmers on low for at least two hours. Egg noodles are cooked separately until al dente, then placed in bowls and covered with the soup after the bones and bay leaf are removed.
Funderburk says she was initially aware that the barbecue sauce might seem unusual, but tried it because it was included in the cookbook as an optional ingredient. She describes the resulting broth as flavorful, crediting both the sauce and bouillon. She also says the chicken was tender and flavorful after roasting and simmering. The article does not provide a complete ingredient list or a total preparation time.
Chicken Noodle Soup with Emily Blunt’s Twist
Celia Funderburk reviewed Blunt’s recipe from Stanley Tucci’s cookbook. Optional barbecue sauce adds a sweet, savory note, while roasting and slow simmering take planning.
Four ways to build the bowl
The recipe layers flavor and keeps noodles separate until serving.
Add barbecue sauce
It brought slight sweetness and umami to Funderburk’s broth.
Use roasted chicken
Roasted legs and thighs add flavor before they go into the soup.
Give broth time
Chicken, bones and broth simmer together for at least two hours.
Add noodles to bowls
Cook noodles separately, then ladle soup over them at serving.
A planned cooking sequence
The hands-on steps are spread across roasting, broth-making and serving.
Roast chicken with onion, olive oil and thyme for about 40 minutes.
Soften vegetables, add garlic and ginger, then cook down white wine before adding broth and bouillon.
Add shredded chicken and roasted onions, simmer with barbecue sauce and bones, then serve over cooked noodles.
What the review tells cooks
Funderburk’s results reflect her own version, including chicken bone broth and egg noodles.
- Barbecue sauce adds sweetness and umami.
- Roasted and simmered chicken was tender and flavorful.
- The roast and long simmer make this a time-intensive meal.
- The article gives no total preparation time or complete ingredient quantities.
A Surprising Addition to the Broth
The recipe offers a practical variation on familiar chicken noodle soup: barbecue sauce goes into the broth, rather than being served as a topping or used only as a marinade. In Funderburk’s tasting, it added a slight sweetness and umami, making the soup’s flavor profile different from a more traditional broth. Because the cookbook lists the sauce as optional, cooks can decide whether to follow that twist or leave it out.
The approach also depends on time and layering. Roasting the chicken first, then simmering the meat and bones in the soup, gives the cook more steps than a quick one-pot version. Funderburk says much of the time is hands-off, but the recipe requires planning around the 40-minute roast and two-hour simmer. That makes it more suited to a day when lunch or dinner can be prepared well in advance than to a last-minute meal.
For readers looking for comfort food, the article is a review of one writer’s experience, not a clinical assessment of soup as a treatment for colds or flu. Its main takeaway is culinary: an optional pantry ingredient can add a distinct taste, while bones and a slow simmer help build a fuller broth.
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From Tucci’s 2014 Cookbook
Blunt’s recipe appears in The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends, a cookbook published in 2014 by actor Stanley Tucci. Funderburk identifies Blunt as Tucci’s sister-in-law and says she found the recipe while looking through the book. The Kitchn article recounts her own attempt to make it and focuses on the result, particularly the barbecue sauce and the time required.
The cooking sequence separates the noodles from the soup until serving. Funderburk favors egg noodles, though she notes that noodle choice varies by preference and mentions angel hair broken into small pieces as another family choice. She also says she used chicken bone broth in place of regular broth. That was her own adaptation; the article does not present it as a requirement of Blunt’s recipe.
“I don’t know why I started doing this — it sounds a bit random, but I tried it once, and I just think it adds a bit of a kick of flavor.”
— Emily Blunt, as quoted in Stanley Tucci’s cookbook
Recipe Timing and Variations
The article gives a 40-minute roasting time and says the soup simmers for at least two hours, but it does not state a total recipe time, serving count or full set of ingredient quantities. The actual elapsed time will also depend on preparation and cooking conditions. It is not clear from the article whether the recipe includes a specific barbecue sauce style or brand; cooks may find that different sauces change the broth’s sweetness and seasoning.
Funderburk’s review reflects her own choices, including using chicken bone broth and serving the soup with egg noodles. The article does not compare those choices with the cookbook’s original version in a controlled test. It also does not make a medical claim that the soup treats illness; its references to cold and flu season frame the recipe as comfort food.
Plan Ahead Before Cooking
The next step for anyone trying the dish is to consult the cookbook or a complete recipe listing for ingredient amounts, then budget time for roasting and simmering. Cooks can decide whether to include the optional barbecue sauce, choose their preferred noodles, and follow food-safety guidance when handling raw chicken. Cook poultry thoroughly, refrigerate leftovers promptly, and reheat them until steaming hot.
Funderburk’s article does not announce a new cookbook edition or a follow-up test. Its immediate use for readers is as a review of the recipe’s flavor and workload: it suggests starting the soup well ahead of serving and adding noodles to individual bowls so they do not sit in the pot while the broth simmers.
Key Questions
What makes Emily Blunt’s chicken noodle soup different?
The recipe includes barbecue sauce as an optional addition to the broth. Celia Funderburk says it added a slight sweetness and umami to her version.
How long does the soup take to cook?
The chicken roasts for about 40 minutes, and the soup simmers for at least two hours. The article does not give a total preparation time, so the full meal takes longer once chopping and other steps are included.
Which noodles does the recipe use?
Funderburk served the soup with egg noodles, cooked separately until al dente. She notes that noodle choice is a matter of preference and mentions broken angel hair as another option.
Does the recipe claim to cure a cold?
No. The article presents chicken noodle soup as comfort food during cold and flu season; it does not claim that this recipe treats or cures illness.
Source: thekitchn.com
