Chicken Noodle Soup is easy to make from scratch with few ingredients.
In this recipe, a whole chicken is simmered with vegetables to create a flavorful broth and tender meat. Remove the meat from the bones, stir in some egg noodles and a handful of veggies for a cozy homemade soup.
Chicken soup really is a good wholesome meal with fresh ingredients and has never been so easy!
A Perfect Homemade Soup
This chicken noodle soup recipe is made with homemade broth and either store-bought or homemade egg noodles! Bonus, the whole kitchen will smell heavenly as the family comes home after a long day!
- Simple ingredients with a real homemade flavor.
- Easy to make and prepare. Let it simmer while you go about your day.
- A great way to stretch a meal, a whole chicken creates broth and meat for soup.
- Use any veggie you’d like and rice or pasta of your choice.
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
Chicken (of course), along with carrots, celery, onions, noodles, and fresh herbs are slow-cooked to savory goodness.
CHICKEN & BROTH
A whole chicken makes a flavorful stock and tender meat for the soup.
Homemade: Simmering a whole chicken with some vegetables, seasonings, and water makes a flavorful broth (and I leave the skin on the onion for color). Strain the broth well through cheesecloth and discard the veggies as they become too mushy to add to the soup (I usually snack on them anyhow because they have lots of flavor). If you don’t have a whole chicken, use 8 bone-in chicken thighs.
Store Bought: If you are using store-bought broth (or if you already have homemade stock to use), you can simmer chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs in low sodium chicken broth for about 12-14 minutes (for boneless) or use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.
VEGETABLES Onion adds flavor while carrots and celery ribs are traditional additions. Any kind of vegetables can be added and frozen vegetables work well too. A few cloves garlic, some diced potatoes, spinach, or other favorites can be added.
NOODLES Egg noodles are my favorite choice for chicken noodle soup but any pasta will work. We also love homemade egg noodles in this recipe which can be made well ahead of time and frozen.
Homemade Chicken Broth
It is super easy to make homemade broth and since this recipe uses a whole chicken it’s incredibly flavorful. Boiled chicken may not sound special but I can assure you it is one of life’s simple pleasures.
Placing a chicken to simmer in water with a few veggies as you go about your other tasks results in a flavorful broth and tender meat to make great meals throughout the whole week!
Add fresh or dried herbs like parsley, bay leaves, thyme, or a bit of rosemary.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
This soup is as easy as 1, 2, 3, and while it takes a bit of time, most of the time is hands-off while it simmers away!
- Simmer a whole chicken with onions and carrot/celery per the recipe below.
- Strain broth and remove meat from the bones.
- Cook the broth and carrots and celery. Stir in chicken and cooked noodles.
Remove from heat and season with pepper (add fresh parsley and if you’d like a little squeeze of lemon juice). For a classic soup and sandwich combination serve with a grilled cheese or club sandwich.
Cooking Variations
Plan for Leftovers
If you plan on having leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl when serving. It will get mushy if left in the broth overnight (or frozen in the broth).
Leftovers?
Chicken noodle soup is so delicious we rarely have leftovers, but it can easily be stored in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat for meal prep. Remember to cook and store the egg noodles separately as they do not hold up well.
- To Store: Be sure it is fully cooled before putting it in the fridge. Make sure it’s in a tightly sealed container. It should last about a week if it lasts that long! Keep noodles in a separate sandwich bag or container.
- To Freeze: Chicken noodle soup can be frozen as long as it is fully cooled first (without the noodles). Chill it overnight in the fridge and then either ladle it into freezer bags with the date on them or in a freezer-safe container. It should keep about 4 months.
- To Reheat: Ladle the soup into a bowl and pop it in the microwave or into a stockpot on the stove. Easy enough!
Homemade Soups You’ll Love
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Heartwarming and hearty chicken noodle soup is perfect for chilly days!
Follow Spend with Pennies on Pinterest
Homemade Chicken Broth
-
Cut 1 onion, carrots, and celery into quarters (include the tops of the carrots and celery if you have them). Place the remaining ½ onion into the cavity of the chicken.
-
Place chicken in a large pot and add vegetables from step 1, fresh herbs, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt, and poultry seasoning. Cover with water.
-
Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn heat down and simmer partially covered for 1 ½ – 2 hours.
-
Remove chicken, shred meat and discard bones. Strain broth through cheesecloth. Discard the vegetables in the strainer (*see note 1).
Soup
-
Bring 8 cups of the strained broth to a boil and add carrots and celery. Cook 5 minutes.
-
While carrots are cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. *see note 2
-
Stir in chicken and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Place noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup over top and serve.
No need to peel the onions, the brown onion skins will color the broth.
If your broth has simmered down, add additional chicken stock as needed to equal 8 cups of broth total. If you have extra broth, it can be added to this recipe or saved for another use.
Chicken for This Recipe: If you don’t have a whole chicken, use 8 bone-in chicken thighs.
Store Bought or Prepared Broth: If you are using store-bought broth (or if you already have homemade stock to use), you can use already cooked chicken or simmer boneless chicken breasts or thighs in the broth for about 12-14 minutes.
Herbs: If you don’t have fresh herbs, substitute a total 1 generous teaspoon of dried herbs (I use a mix of parsley, rosemary or thyme).
Egg Noodles/Leftovers: Egg noodles do not keep well in this soup in the fridge or freezer. If you would like to freeze this soup or serve some of it at a later date, cook the noodles separately and add them to each bowl when serving.
If you are eating all of the soup in one sitting, noodles can be cooked directly in the broth.
Calories: 138, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 1204mg, Potassium: 479mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 5459IU, Vitamin C: 25mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 1mg
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Course Chicken, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine American