Our Favorite Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
In all honesty, its a little shameful that Im just now sharing my classic homemade chicken noodle soup recipe with you.
I mean, were just shy of ten years of recipes here on A Spicy Perspective, and I have nearly every other variety of chicken soup posted. Yet, as I was looking through our recipe catalog a couple of months ago, looking for just plain chicken soup I found the gaping hole.
Sorry guys!
What Spices And Seasonings Are Good In Chicken Soup
Typically I like to use thyme, bay leaves, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic and onions to season my chicken soup. The celery and carrots also add a lot of flavour to the broth.
If you’d like to try different spices from the ones I use in the recipe on this page, definitely give it a try! I’d recommend sticking with the essential ingredients and switching up the thyme, bay leaves and parsley for other fresh herbs and spices. Here are a few ideas:
- onion powder
- lemon juice very nice added to bring extra brightness to your soup, especially if it’s a very hearty soup
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch
Simmering a whole chicken with root vegetables and herbs creates a delicious homemade stock for the soup, into which the chicken meat is shredded alongside chopped and sauteed vegetables. This is a Chicken Noodle Soup made the old fashioned way!
Regular readers know that cool is certainly not my middle name. Im not one for following food trends. I just like good food done right. Ill give foam and cauliflower crust pizza a miss thanks!
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Making Whole Chicken Soup From Scratch Is Easy And Delicious Here Are My Best Recipe Tips:
- Buy a beautiful organic chicken for making soup, this will ensure that your broth is nourishing and clean.
- Garnishing chicken soup with fresh herbs is a fantastic flavor enhancer. Parsley is used in this recipe but dill or tarragon are absolutely fantastic as well.
- Pack your soup pot with a plethora of colorful vegetables, the more nutrient-dense the ingredients that go into the pot, the more nutrient-dense the soup.
- Soup is a wonderful way to care for yourself and your family. Enjoy this family recipe and don’t tell my Mom that I shared it with you!
Tips For Making Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup:
- This chicken soup from scratch can be cooked in a large pot, dutch oven or even slow cooker !
- Be sure to sauté the onions, carrots and celery until they’re soft and tender before adding the rest of the ingredients. This will draw out the most flavor.
- Bone-in chicken thighs create a rich, cooked-all-day flavor. Be sure to remove the skin before adding the thighs, otherwise the soup will be greasy.
- Finishing the soup with fresh lemon juice and parsley brightens up all the flavors.
- Season the soup well with salt and pepper, which are critical for flavor.
- Feel free to add in other flavors or spices! You could add a Parmigiano Reggiano rind to enrich the broth swap out the thyme for ginger and curry powder and/or throw in a few handfuls of spinach at the end!
*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love . Thank you for supporting From Scratch Fast!
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How To Make Clear Chicken Soup
Wash 300 g of bone-in chicken well with water. Its good to use chicken with bones to make clear soup as the bones add a lot of flavors. In case bone-in chicken is not available, use 200 g of boneless chicken instead. Add the washed chicken to a pressure cooker along with ¼ cup chopped onion, 3-4 cloves of garlic , ¼ cup of chopped carrot, 2 bay leaves, 2-3 sprigs of thyme, and 4 cups of water.
Add salt to taste and ¼ teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper and pressure cook for one whistle on high heat.
Simmer the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes on low heat.
Remove the pressure cooker from heat. Let the pressure release naturally and then open the lid of the cooker.
Strain the soup using a soup strainer.
Take out the chicken pieces and shred them into small pieces discarding the bones.
Add few shredded pieces in each serving bowl and pour the clear soup on top.
Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve hot.
Serving The Finished Soup
Not for nothing is this soup is called Jewish penicillin its rich enough to fortify both your spirits and your constitution, but not so much that it would upset a delicate stomach. Serve the soup or even just the broth all on its own, or make it into more of a meal with cooked egg noodles, rice, or matzo balls.
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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 Do You Make Chicken Soup More Flavourfulmy Stock/broth Tastes Bland How Do I Fix That
Sometimes when making soup, you’ll notice that it needs just a little something extra to boost its yumminess.
If your chicken stock or broth tastes less rich or flavourful than expected, that’s ok and doesn’t mean you did anything incorrect in the recipe it just means that the fat content varies from chicken to chicken. To boost the flavour of your soup, you can try:
- Add some more salt add a little, give it a stir, then give it a taste. Repeat as necessary, according to taste.
- Add more pepper
- Add premade chicken broth/stock, store bought broth or some chicken bullion
- Let it reduce down longer you may just need to give it more time to cook so the flavours can become more concentrated and excess liquid boils away.
Also Check: Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Easy Homemade Chicken Broth
Oh so easy and oh so yummy!
Tuesday I shared one of the easiest and BEST Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipes around. In my opinion, the key to making it the best soup around starts with the broth. I know the idea of making your own homemade chicken broth might be scary, but trust me, its not!
The best part, you can make a big batch now, use the leftover chicken meat in the soup recipe, and then freeze the rest for later. I even saw this great idea on The Kitchn for using ice cube trays to freeze individuals portions.
Ok, back to the broth!
How Do You Thicken Up Soup
Personally for chicken soup, I prefer a clear broth but if you’d like it thicker, you’re welcome to adjust it to your liking. There are a few ways to thicken soup:
- add a potato and mash it
- remove some of the soup solids, puree them in a blender and add them back to the soup
- add cream while the soup is simmering
- mix some cornstarch with some liquid from the soup, make sure there are no lumps, and whisk it in
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What Can I Add To Soup For More Flavor
Our recipe sticks to classic ingredients and flavors, but that doesnt mean there arent things you can add to make it your own:
For a creamy chicken noodle soup, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream or half-and-half. We do this when making our creamy chicken soup.
Add three to four lemon slices for a lemon chicken soup similar to this Lemony Chicken and Vegetable Soup.
Add three or four slices of lime, swap the parsley for fresh cilantro, and then add diced tomatoes and cubed avocado for Mexican-style chicken soup. You can even add diced corn tortillas as we do for this tortilla chicken soup.
Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and a few dashes of fish sauce for an ultra-satisfying, umami-packed soup.
Swirl in fresh spinach or kale at the end of cooking for more of a vegetable-heavy soup.
Swap the noodles for potatoes, winter squash, rice, quinoa or grains. Add hearty veggies to the pot along with the onions and carrots. When it comes to rice and grains, add them already cooked.
Swap the noodles for tortellini I love using cheese-filled pasta when making this veggie tortellini soup.
How To Make Old Fashioned Chicken Soup From Scratch
Follow these simple directions and in a few hours, you too could be enjoying this wonderful soup. As I am the type of cook that tends to add a pinch of this and a glop of that and taste, my apologies for the lack of specific amounts All efforts have been made to approximate how much of each ingredient is added.
Take your whole, rinsed, chicken along with your organ meats if you choose, and place into a large stockpot. I use a 24-quart stainless steel stockpot similar to the ones below. Again, use a larger one than you think you will need.
Cover the whole chicken with good, filtered water and bring to the boil. Cover , reduce the heat and simmer for 3 plus hours, depending on the size of the bird. We have used an 8# bird for this soup and simmered ours for 3 1/2 hours. You will know its cooked well enough when the skin begins to peel back from the leg bones and or you can twist the leg bone easily.
PRO TIP: Halfway through simmering time, roll the bird over in the water to evenly cook.
While the chicken is simmering, prepare your vegetables and gather your ingredients. The star of this homemade chicken soup are carrots , celery , and onions . Peel, chop and slice to your liking and set aside. Additional and optional ingredients are listed below.
Remove the chicken, and organ meat if used, once all is completely cooked from the pot and cool. I find it helpful to peel back the skin while its still hot and then allow the rest of the chicken to cool.
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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
Do You Cook The Chicken Before Putting It In Soupcan I Put Raw Chicken In Boiling Water
When making old-fashioned chicken soup, you start by boiling a whole chicken to create a rich bone broth from scratch. You don’t need to cook the chicken before putting it in the soup because you’re using it from the very beginning to make the stock.
If you’re using a premade broth or stock, you can definitely put the chicken right in. The best way to do this is to put the chicken in a large stockpot, then add the premade stock over top bring the stock and the chicken to a boil together. Please don’t drop the chicken into a pot of already boiling water.
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Expert Tips And Storage
- I always use low sodium chicken broth so I can control the saltiness of the soup. While I often choose whats on sale, I avoid the generic brands. Swanson is an all-around great stand by.
- For the ultimate shortcut, use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped, for a super simple soup that only takes 20 minutes.
- For a burst of freshness, try adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the finished soup.
- Chicken Noodle Soup or Chicken Rice Soup: You can add some cooked pasta or rice but I dont think its always necessary. If you do, be sure to cook the pasta or rice first and dont just dump it all uncooked into the soup. If you have leftovers, store the soup and the pasta or rice separately or it will get mushy and soak up the broth as it sits. As the pasta or rice releases starch, it will also thicken the soup which you probably dont want.
What chicken is best for soup?
Chicken thighs offer the best flavor, but chicken breasts cook quicker and are better for you. Bone-in chicken will add a little more flavor wile boneless is a lot faster, and cooked in broth will still have great flavor.
What can I serve with Chicken Soup?
I love serving bread with soup because its perfect for dipping! Try my simple Garlic Cheese Biscuits, Sour Cream Cornbread, Beer Bread, or Homemade Parker House Rolls. Or for something more hearty, serve with a Club Sandwich or Oven Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
This Chicken Noodle Soup Is Easy
Every time I start to think about this soup, I want to make it. Classic chicken noodle soup is pure comfort food. Thankfully, our recipe is so easy you can even make it tonight! Chicken noodle soup is one of the easiest soups to make. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive. You are looking at about 40 minutes from start to finish for this soup. Not too bad, especially when 20 minutes of that time is hands-off!
For a creamier soup, take a look at our favorite creamy chicken noodle soup recipe .
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How To Make The Best Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe From Scratch Overview
Old fashioned chicken soup is quite easy to make!
You can find detailed instructions in the recipe at the bottom of the page, but first, here is a little breakdown of how it’s made:
First a homeamde stock is made my boiling the chicken in a large soup pot along with some salt. After boiling for a while, the whole chicken is removed and allowed to cool for a little bit before removing the meat and leg bones.
Next, the meat, leg bones, veggies, garlic and herbs are added to the pot with the homemade stock and cooked for a few hours. Season with more salt as necessary, remove the bones and bay leaves and serve.
Be sure to also check out my tips and notes below before diving into the recipe!
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 are loaded with vitamins and minerals, and soothing for the body. Even if you use store bought chicken broth and noodles, its still healthier in every way!
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How To Prep A Whole Chicken:
To prep a whole chicken for the soup pot you will want to first remove the packaging and rinse the chicken with water.
Remove the bag of innards which you will find in the inner cavity of the chicken. You may also want to rinse the cavity of the chicken.
Look for any pop thermometers or metal tags on the body of the chicken and remove those as well. Kitchen shears or scissors work well for this step.
Your chicken is now ready for the soup pot.
Floating Chickens And Other Concerns
Dont worry if your chicken floats in the liquid as it cooks. Since the pot is partially covered, the top will cook just fine. Koenig also says that you can flip the chicken a few times during cooking if youre concerned.
Youll also notice some scummy foam collecting on the surface of the liquid in the first half hour or so of cooking. As the foam clumps together, skim it off with a wide, flat spoon its not harmful, but youll make a better soup if you skim the foam away.
If you have a few extra minutes, you could also sear your chicken on all sides before adding the water. This will give your soup just one more layer of savory goodness, although Koenig says your soup will be incredibly flavorful either way.
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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.
