Chicken Noodle Soup

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Take the time to make Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch and you'll never be able to make it another way again! My mom's version is a step above the rest, made with homemade stock and egg noodles that take just minutes to make. The end result is the BEST Chicken Noodle Soup you'll ever have!

My kids literally jump up and down with excitement whenever homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is on the menu, and rightfully so, because it is AMAZING! This is one of my go-to recipes to bring to friends or neighbors (along with a loaf of Artisan Bread) during the cooler seasons and it's always a hit. If you love homemade soups, try my Baked Potato Soup too!

What Type of Noodles?

My mom always made chicken noodle soup with homemade egg noodles, but the great thing about this soup is that any kind of noodles will work!

• Homemade Egg noodles : all you need is flour, salt, milk and eggs and they're ready in 5 minutes!
• Farfalle pasta
• Elbow macaroni
• Rotini

About the Chicken Stock:

If your questioning whether you should use homemade chicken stock, or store-bought for this recipe, homemade is definitely the way to go! The secret is to use a rotisserie chicken so that you can use the meat in the soup and make chicken broth with the leftover carcass and bones. You wont believe how easy it is and it really takes the soup over top in terms of depth of flavor.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup:

Make Homemade Chicken Stock ahead of time using a rotisserie chicken, or choose a good brand of store-bought chicken stock.

Sauté veggies.  Add butter, diced celery and carrots to a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add chicken stock or broth.  Season the broth with salt (definitely TASTE the broth before adding more salt), pepper, and a tiny pinch of rosemary, thyme, and crushed red pepper. I may add another small spoonful of “better than bullion” chicken or chicken bouillon powder as well, if needed, to taste.

Add noodles and boil.  Once boiling, add noodles (either the uncooked homemade egg noodles, or dry store-bought pasta) and cook just until noodles are al dente.  If using store-bought noodles, be cautious not to overcook them! Remove the soup pot from heat as soon as the noodles are just barely tender, as they will continue to cook off of the heat.

Add chicken. Add chicken meat from the rotisserie chicken. Taste the broth again and add more seasonings, if needed.

Serve.  I love to serve this healthy soup with this easy No Knead Bread or homemade rolls! If you love this recipe, try my new Chicken and Dumpling Soup!

Is chicken noodle soup healthy?

Yes, homemade chicken noodle soup is healthy, and much healthier than store-bought soups which are usually loaded with sodium and other artificial flavors and preservatives. Chicken broth or stock (especially when homemade) are loaded with vitamins and minerals, and soothing for the body. Even if you use store bought chicken broth and noodles, it's still healthier in every way!

Make ahead and freezing instructions:

To make ahead: This soup is best made ahead of time when you are using homemade egg noodles, since they don't get soggy and overcooked like regular store bought noodles. If you wanted to use regular noodles, I recommend making the broth (steps 1-2) first, and then boiling it with the noodles, and adding the chicken, the day of serving.

To store:  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, depending on the freshness of the chicken used.

To freeze: Allow the soup to cool completely and store it in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or over medium heat on the stove. If using store bought noodles I would suggest undercooking the noodles before freezing the soup, to avoid them getting soggy upon reheating.

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Author: Lauren Allen

Take the time to make Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch and you'll never be able to make it another way again! My mom's version is a step above the rest, made with homemade stock and egg noodles that take just minutes to make.

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Equipment

• Enameled Pot

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x?

For the Soup:

• ▢ 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• ▢ 2 ribs celery, , diced
• ▢ 3-4 large carrots, diced
• ▢ 1 clove garlic, , minced
• ▢ 10 cups chicken stock, , or broth*
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt, , to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, , to taste
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, ,or more, to taste
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 batch homemade egg noodles, , or 4 cups dry egg noodles, farfalle or other bite-size pasta
• ▢ 3 cups rotisserie chicken, *
• ▢ 1 teaspoon better than bouillon chicken flavor, , (or more, as needed), or chicken bouillon granules

Instructions 

• Add butter, diced celery and carrots to a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. 
• Add chicken stock and season the broth with rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper, and salt (definitely TASTE the broth before adding more salt), and pepper. Taste and add a spoonful of “better than bullion” chicken or chicken bouillon cubes or granules as needed.
• Bring broth to a boil. Add noodles (either uncooked homemade egg noodles, or dry store-bought pasta) and cook just until noodles are al dente. 
• If using store-bought noodles, be cautious not to overcook them! Remove pot from heat as soon as they are just barely tender. The noodles will continue to cook once you remove the pot from the heat, and you don’t want them mushy. 
• Add chicken meat from the rotisserie chicken. Taste the broth again and add more seasonings, if needed.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, depending on the freshness of the chicken you used.

Notes

Stock: I HIGHLY recommend making this soup with homemade stock! It's very easy to do if you buy a rotisserie chicken, and you can even make it ahead of time and freeze it. That way you can use the rotisserie chicken meat for the soup and the bones for the broth. 

If using store-bought broth I recommend adding Better than Bullion chicken base to it to give it more depth of flavor.

Chicken: Using a rotisserie chicken (or your own whole roasted chicken) is my recommended method because you can use the meat for the soup and the bones to make homemade chicken stock. To use raw chicken meat, add raw chicken thighs, breasts, or tenders right to the boiling broth in step 3 (before adding the noodles). Cooking time will differ depending on the chicken you use but cook for about 5 minutes before adding the noodles.

Gluten-free Adaptations: Use gluten-free egg noodles or make my homemade egg noodles with gluten-free all-purpose flour.

Make ahead: This soup is best made ahead of time when you are using homemade egg noodles (they don't get soggy like regular store bought noodles).  If using regular dry noodles I recommend making the broth (steps 1-2) first, and then the day of serving boiling the broth and noodles and adding the chicken. 

Freezing Instructions: Allow the soup to cool completely and store it in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or over medium heat on the stove. If using store bought noodles I would suggest undercooking the noodles before freezing the soup, to avoid them getting soggy upon reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 934mg, Potassium: 587mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 4606IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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I originally shared this recipe October 2017. Updated September 2021.

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