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A Kitchn reviewer tested Emily Blunt’s chicken noodle soup recipe from the 2014 cookbook The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends. The recipe includes barbecue sauce as an optional addition; the reviewer said it gave the broth a slight sweetness and savory depth, while noting the soup takes time to prepare.
The Kitchn has published a review of Emily Blunt’s chicken noodle soup recipe, a slow-cooked version that calls for an unusual optional ingredient: barbecue sauce. The reviewer said the sauce added a slight sweetness and savory depth to the broth after she made the recipe, offering readers a specific variation on a familiar comfort-food dish.
The recipe appears in The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends, a 2014 cookbook by Stanley Tucci. The Kitchn reviewer found it while looking through the book and decided to test it, focusing on Blunt’s suggestion to add barbecue sauce. The ingredient is listed as optional, so cooks can leave it out or adjust the amount to taste.
The preparation begins with chicken legs and thighs seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme, then roasted on a bed of sliced yellow onion for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, diced onion, carrot and celery are softened in a Dutch oven. Garlic and ginger follow, then white wine, chicken broth and bouillon cubes. The chicken is shredded and added to the pot with the roasted onions, barbecue sauce, a bay leaf and some chicken bones.
The soup simmers on low for at least two hours. The noodles are cooked separately and added to bowls before the broth is ladled over them. The reviewer used chicken bone broth and egg noodles, and said the finished chicken was tender and flavorful. The cookbook recipe’s page did not give a total cooking time; the review describes the process as time-consuming, though much of the simmering is hands-off.
Emily Blunt’s Soup Gets a Barbecue Sauce Twist
A Kitchn reviewer tested the recipe from Stanley Tucci’s 2014 cookbook. Its optional barbecue sauce added slight sweetness and savory depth, according to her tasting.
What the sauce adds
The reviewer described a subtle flavor change, not a required ingredient.
Barbecue sauce
It brought slight sweetness and savory depth to the broth in the reviewer’s test.
Adjust to taste
The review gives no amount. Add gradually and taste as you go, or leave it out.
How the soup builds flavor
Roasted chicken, aromatics and a long simmer form the recipe’s foundation.
Season chicken legs and thighs, then roast them over sliced yellow onion for 40 minutes.
Soften onion, carrot and celery; add garlic, ginger, wine, broth and bouillon.
Add shredded chicken and the optional sauce. Simmer at least two hours; cook noodles separately.
Review choices, not recipe rules
The reviewer made substitutions and shared her own tasting impressions.
- Chicken bone broth
- Egg noodles
- Barbecue sauce for sweetness and umami
- The sauce is optional
- Noodle choice is flexible
- Flavor results depend on the sauce and amount
Plan for a slow cook
The reviewer said much of the simmer is hands-off and suggested starting in the morning for lunch.
A Small Addition Changes the Broth
The recipe’s point of interest is not a new cooking method but a small, optional change that may appeal to people who want more depth in chicken soup without changing its basic ingredients. The reviewer described the barbecue sauce as contributing slight sweetness and umami, comparing its role to the way some cooks use soy sauce. That is her tasting assessment, not a measured nutritional or culinary finding.
For home cooks, the review gives a practical reason to consider the ingredient while keeping expectations in proportion: barbecue sauce does not replace the chicken, vegetables or long simmer. The recipe still depends on roasted poultry, broth, aromatics and time. Readers can test the addition in a pot they already make, adding it gradually and tasting as they go, rather than treating it as mandatory.
The cooking time also matters for planning. The chicken roasts for 40 minutes and the soup simmers for at least two hours, so this is not presented as a quick weeknight recipe. The reviewer says the long cooking is mostly hands-off and suggests the soup can be started in the morning for lunch. That schedule is her practical recommendation, not a stated total time from the cookbook.
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The Recipe’s Cookbook Origins
Blunt’s recipe is included in Stanley Tucci’s 2014 cookbook, which the review identifies as The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends. The Kitchn writer encountered it while browsing the book and was especially curious about the barbecue sauce. The article’s headline frames that ingredient as an upgrade, while the recipe itself treats it as optional.
The review is based on the writer’s own cooking and tasting experience. She reported using chicken bone broth in place of regular broth and choosing egg noodles, which she prefers in chicken noodle soup. Those are her choices for the test, not requirements stated for the recipe. The article also notes that cooks may prefer different noodles; it does not claim there is a single correct choice.
The recipe’s flavor-building steps include both roasting the chicken and simmering the soup with chicken bones. The reviewer said she liked the bones’ contribution to the broth and used bone broth as well. Her comments about added protein and collagen reflect her description of the method; the article provides no nutritional analysis or quantities that would establish how much those components change in a serving.
“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 The Tucci Table
What the Review Does Not Establish
The review does not provide a complete recipe card or total cooking time, and the cookbook page is described as lacking a total-time estimate. It also does not give specific amounts for every ingredient in the article text, so readers should consult the cookbook or the full recipe before cooking rather than infer quantities from the review.
The claimed flavor effect is based on one writer’s experience. The article does not compare versions with and without barbecue sauce under controlled conditions, identify a preferred sauce style, or specify how much sauce creates the effect she describes. The recipe lists the sauce as optional, and individual results will depend on the sauce and amount used.
The article does not include nutrition information, food-safety instructions or details about how the reviewer stored leftovers. It also does not say whether Blunt developed the recipe herself or how the recipe was tested for the cookbook. The available account supports a description of the recipe and the reviewer’s response, but not broader claims about health benefits or universal results.
How Cooks Can Try the Addition
The next step for readers interested in the recipe is to follow the cookbook’s full instructions and treat barbecue sauce as an optional, adjustable ingredient. A cautious approach is to begin with a small amount, taste the broth as it simmers, and add more only if the flavor suits the cook. The review does not specify a starting quantity, so it should not be taken as a measurement guide.
Plan for the chicken’s 40-minute roast and a simmer of at least two hours, plus time to prepare vegetables and cook the noodles separately. For food safety, cook chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C), measured with a food thermometer at the thickest part. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours in shallow containers and reheat them to 165°F (74°C). The article does not provide storage directions, so these are standard safe-handling steps for a poultry soup.
The published review does not announce a follow-up test or a new version of the recipe. What happens next is up to readers: they can try the optional sauce in their own chicken soup, leave it out, or compare the two versions at home. The reported result remains a personal review rather than a promise that every barbecue sauce or batch will taste the same.
Key Questions
What is Emily Blunt’s chicken noodle soup upgrade?
The recipe includes barbecue sauce as an optional ingredient. The Kitchn reviewer said it gave the broth a slight sweetness and savory depth.
Where does the recipe come from?
It appears in The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends, a cookbook by Stanley Tucci published in 2014.
How long does the soup take to cook?
The chicken roasts for 40 minutes, and the soup simmers for at least two hours. The review says the cookbook page does not list a total preparation time.
Which noodles did the reviewer use?
The reviewer chose egg noodles, while noting that noodle choice is a matter of personal preference. She cooked them separately and added them to bowls before serving the soup.
Is the barbecue sauce required?
No. The cookbook lists it as optional. The reviewer chose to include it, but cooks can omit it or adjust the amount to suit their taste.
Source: thekitchn.com
