How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch

Should You Cook Noodles Separately For Soup

It depends.

If youre trying to be speedy, then cooking the noodles right in the soup, as Ive done in the recipe below, is the quickest option.

However, if you have leftovers from the meal, the noodles will continue to soak up liquid while the soup is in the fridge. Youll end up with something more like noodle stew.

So if youre making enough to have leftovers, cook and store the noodles separately from the soup. Then just add them in when youre reheating the soup.

Read more tips for making homemade soups in a really short time here. And to see all my quick soup recipes go here.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Perfect Chicken Noodle Soup raises the bar high.

• It should look and smell comforting.
• It should be full of flavor, yet gentle on the belly.
• It should have a good balance of noodles, vegetables, and chicken floating in a lightly zesty broth.
• But above all, chicken noodle soup should be easy to make.

Thats because, so often when we make it, we are cooking our Best Chicken Noodle Soup recipe for someone we love that is sick in bed. Or maybe we are sick and should be in bed.

Either way, we want the soup to be so much more than the kind you pour out of a can Yet we dont want anyone to struggle through the recipe.

We are hoping for easy chicken soup with mystical healing properties, that tastes like grandma made it.

Tall order? Ive got you covered. *wink*

This Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Is A Game Changer

Whats so great about making chicken noodle soup from scratch when you could just open a can and call it dinner? Well, aside from the fact that your family will love the way it tastes , you can feel good that youre feeding them a home cooked meal full of the good stuff . Chicken broth, veggies, some dried herbs, a store-bought rotisserie chicken and some egg noodles are all it takes to feed your family a meal full of flavor, nutrition and love. Yeah, you got this!

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Chicken Noodle Soup Video Tutorial

This simple Chicken Noodle Soup is healthy, hearty, and makes the perfect dish for busy families. My sister Anna came up with this recipe and first introduced me to it when she sent me a pot of soup after our first child was born over 10 years ago. Weve been making it ever since and even made a Creamy Chicken Soup version!

Best Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

So heres why we think this version is the best homemade soup from scratch

• Its chunky and well balanced, with plenty of protein, and veggies tucked between the noodles.
• We used bone-in chicken with skins and chicken broth, to intensify the chicken flavor. Using both makes a big difference.
• We also enhanced the broth by adding a little bit of turmeric for color, and cornstarch at the end to thicken the broth just a tad. Its not thick, mind you, and its not watery. Its just right!
• We focused on freshness with vegetables, herby essence, and a pop of lemon juice to brighten things up.
• We used dried noodles that feel homemade once they cook.
• And best of all, we did all this while taking out unnecessary steps, so the recipe isnt daunting.

We think its pretty awesome.

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Make Ahead And Storing Tips

The soup can be made and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

If you are not planning on enjoying the soup straight away or plan to freeze it, you might want to hold off on adding the noodles. As the soup sits, the noodles soak up the broth. You can deal with this in two ways:

When reheating the soup, add a bit more broth/stock to the pot. Ive even been known to add a splash of plain water to the soup when reheating. As long as you dont need to add a lot, it wont thin the flavor of the soup too much.

When making the soup ahead of time, for the freshest, least soggy noodles, leave the noodles out then refrigerate or freeze the soup. When you are ready to reheat, bring the soup to a low simmer and add dried noodles. Cook until they are done and enjoy.

The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

When my body is tired and achy, or Im feeling a bit under the weather, I always throw together a big pot of this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. The aroma that fills my house as it cooks is absolutely soothing to the soul, and the from scratch flavor just cant be beat. Theres no bouillon here folks, because this chicken broth is the real deal. But dont worry, despite being made from scratch, this surprisingly simple and easy recipe makes the BEST homemade chicken noodle soup with very little hands-on time!

Images and prices updated 2-8-17

Pairs perfectly with homemade No-Knead Focaccia Rolls!

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Do I Have To Make Homemade Noodles

I highly recommend making your own noodles for the whole from scratch experience. If you want a quicker, easier chicken noodle soup recipe, check out our Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup. It comes together in about 30 minutes and uses a few more ready-t0-go ingredients like chicken stock and packaged noodles.

• 2tbsp+ 1 tsp. whole milk
• 1cupall-purpose flour

How Do You Make Egg Noodles

It is so easy, you might never buy egg noodles again! To make egg noodles:

Thats it. Youve made noodles!

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Chicken Noodle Soup Instructions

What To Add To Chicken Noodle Soup For Flavor

Adding herbs and spices is the best way to add flavor to homemade chicken noodle soup. Chicken and noodles are bland on their own without seasoning. Add in some seasonings, and you really change the flavor of the soup.

For this from scratch recipe, I use onion, garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley and bay leaf. Salt and pepper are also a very important part of the ingredients. I suggest you add herbs and spices to your desired taste.

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How Chicken Noodle Soup Got Its Name

Campbells had a canned condensed soup called Noodle with Chicken Soup. Weird, right? That soup with that weird name was around for awhile but never became popular. Then a radio announcer made a mistake on air and called it Chicken Noodle Soup. People suddenly got excited about this new soup with its cool new name and sales skyrocketed. The name stuck and came to be applied to canned versions and homemade versions alike.

Im so glad that the name and the type of soup were around in my childhood. I have vivid memories of eating homemade chicken noodle soup at my Babas kitchen table. She made it so often that her house smelled like chicken soup even when there wasnt any in sight.

Homemade Chicken Soup From The Carcass

One the greatest by-products of roasting a whole chicken , is the opportunity to make Homemade Chicken Soup with the leftover bones & carcass. Not sure if there is a food that feels more comforting and homey than Chicken Soup. Just about every family and every culture has a version, and its one of those foods that just makes you feel good. This Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe is not hard to make, as Ill do with the leftover chicken after the Sunday Roast . Ill show you how to make the broth from the carcass, and then put it together with the classic vegetables, and some pasta. Of course, its easy to add other ingredients to make it your own. Hope you enjoy this Chicken Soup Recipe!

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Pasta Selection And Cooking

Wide egg noodles are the top choice for chicken noodle soup. They are delicate with a wide surface area and cook quickly in the liquid. If you dont have any on hand, no problem. You can use any pasta type like ditalini, mini shells, elbows, or orzo works. I prefer anything that can easily fit into the curved end of a spoon.

Instead of using a separate large pot to boil the noodles, cook them directly in the chicken stock. I do this after I remove the breast while its cooling down. Cook them to al dente, and it will continue to soften when you add the shredded chicken back to warm up. You dont want the noodles to become mushy.

What Ingredients Do I Need For Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

The ingredients list for this soup may look long, but I promise that everything is pretty straightforward. For this recipe, youll need:

• A whole chicken. Cant have chicken noodle soup without the chicken!
• Water. Yup, no stockbut this will honestly be the most flavorful chicken noodle soup youve ever had. Well talk more about that in a sec!
• Onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. These will both give you some vitamins and minerals, and add more flavor to the soup.
• Bay leaves, dried sage, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and dried marjoram. These are all there for flavor. If you are missing one or two, dont fretyoull still get a delicious soup!
• Salt and black pepper.

And then for the homemade noodles , youll need flour, salt, eggs, and water.

Also Check: Campbell Soup Chicken And Rice Casserole

How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch Step By Step Photos

Begin by dicing one onion and mincing three cloves of garlic. Place them in a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.

While the onion and garlic are cooking, clean and slice 1/2 lb. carrots and 1/2 bunch celery . Add them to the pot. Continue to sauté the onions, carrots, and celery together. Youll only use half of a one-pound bag of carrots and half of a bunch of celery, but the rest doesnt need to go to waste. You can clean and slice the rest and freeze them to make another batch of soup later. I do it every time. It takes just a few more minutes and is super convenient later!

Remove the skin from two split chicken breasts . Split chicken breasts come with bones and rib meat, both of which add a LOT of flavor to the broth. They will also sometimes be labeled bone-in chicken breast with rib meat.

Add the chicken breasts to the pot along with 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 Tbsp dried or fresh parsley, 1 bay leaf, and some freshly cracked black pepper.

Add eight cups of water, cover, and bring up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for one hour. Make sure that you dont turn the heat down so low that it stops simmering. It needs to simmer the whole time.

After an hour, it will look something like this. Pull the chicken out of the pot

Use two forks to pull the chicken from the bone and shred it into bite-sized pieces.

Is Chicken Soup Good For Colds

Old wives tale? Popular myth? Medieval medicine? The notion that chicken soup is great for the flu and cold season goes way back. So far back I bet my moms moms mothers grandmother was using it to soothe the common cold.

Well, even though it is not a cure for the common cold, there are many qualities making chicken soup great for easing flu season symptoms. The warm broth, the vitamins from the vegetables, the protein from the chicken, and all the herbs and spices and salt all help fight cold symptoms.

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How To Store This Soup

To store in the refrigerator: Cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. NOTE: soup will thicken as it stands and noodles will absorb a lot of the broth. When reheating, thin the soup a bit with some broth.Can you freeze chicken noodle soup? Chicken noodle soup freezes very well without the noodles, which get super mushy and sort of gross once defrosted. I recommend omitting the noodles and cooking up a fresh batch after the soup has thawed. Transfer cooled soup to airtight container, removing as mush air as possible, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or stovetop and adding in a fresh batch of cooked noodles.

Save Time And Use Rotisserie Chicken Or Leftover Chicken

For the easiest chicken noodle soup, if you have a rotisserie or leftover chicken, instead of adding chicken thighs to the pot, add two to three cups of shredded or diced cooked chicken to the soup at the same time as adding the dried noodles.

Since there is no need to cook the chicken thighs anymore, reduce the simmer time by 10 minutes. We use this method whenever weve roasted a whole chicken the night before.

For even more tips, you can also take a read through our article for How to Make the Best Leftover Chicken Soup.

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What Sides Go With Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is so good and filling, you can totally eat it all by itself. But, around my house were kind of like a Panera you-pick-two as we like to have a little something on the side with the soup. Here are some of our favorite sides to enjoy with this easy chicken noodle soup:

• Salad. If youre looking for something on the lighter side, then I recommend a bowl of salad with this soup. Some of our favorites include Broccoli Salad, Grilled Corn, and this Greek Salad.
• Sandwich. I like to eat this soup with a half a club sandwich or a veggie wrap. Tuna and chicken salad go great with this soup too, so long as you dont mind doubling up on your proteins.

• Rolls. Even if I eat soup alone, its never really alone, as I always need a roll, biscuit, or some other carb to help me mop up all that yummy broth.

• Baked russet or sweet potatoes are also a great way to round out this easy homemade chicken noodle soup recipe as well!

How To Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Sauté the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in butter until softened. Add the seasonings, soy sauce, hot sauce, chicken, and chicken broth.

Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken and use 2 forks to shred it. Return it to the soup.

Boil the noodles separately and add them directly to serving bowls if you expect leftovers, then ladle the soup on top. Otherwise, you can add the drained noodles right to the pot of soup and serve.

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How To Make This Good Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

Yes theres more steps than quick and easy chicken noodle soup recipes, but it is so worth it because this broth is something money cant buy!

What Our Readers Are Saying

If you dont believe that our recipe helps you achieve amazing chicken noodle soup at home, take a look at what our readers are saying about the recipe! More reviews are in the comments section below.

My first time ever making chicken noodle soup and it came out amazing!! Sharon

My new go to recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup! I made this while visiting family a few weeks ago. Six adults and four kids, everyone LOVED it. twenty thumbs up! Haley

This soup is so flavorful! Reminds Me of great chicken noodle soups you can only get at a NYC deli. This combination of herbs is what I have been missing in my recipes. Amanda

Recipe updated, originally posted in 2018. Since posting this, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear and added a quick recipe video. Adam and Joanne

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