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.
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.
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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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 , pepper, and a tiny pinch of rosemary, sage 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 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!
How To Store And Freeze Chicken Soup

Refrigerate the finished soup for up to 5 days and reheat gently over low heat. Note that the egg noodles will expand quite a bit in the soup. If you don’t like this, cook the noodles separately and add them to each bowl.
The soup will also freeze well for up to 3 months. We advise waiting to add the noodles to the soup until serving.
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Can You Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup
Absolutely! Thats actually one of my favorite aspects of this soup. It makes a big batch, so I always freeze about half of it for those days when Im really under the weather. A quick reheat in the microwave or in a pot and this soup instantly makes me feel better. To freeze this soup, first divide it into single portions, make sure it is chilled completely in the refrigerator, then transfer it to the freezer, for up to about three months.
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Love chicken soup? Then youll LOVE my Chicken Stew. Its like chicken soups heartier, more rustic cousin!
Tip For The Best Rice
Cook this recipe on high for 3-4 hours for the best rice texture. Cooking this recipe on lower heat for longer leads to mushy rice.
An easy, cheesy, creamy chicken recipe that everyone will gobble up! This crockpot chicken and rice is so cozy and comforting, just toss everything into the slow cooker and away you go! Gluten free, hearty, and delicious a super easy weeknight meal.
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy!
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How To Make The Best Buttered Noodles
Buttered noodles make me happy. They are so simple and taste so good! Eat them as your main meal or serve them on the side with baked salmon, a hearty salad or juicy pork chops.
Now you might be reading this and saying to yourself, isnt buttered noodles just cooked noodles and melted butter? Well, they could be, but when you stir noodles into a mixture of starchy pasta water, butter, and parmesan, they taste SO much better.
Remember the fettuccine alfredo recipe that we just shared? Heres what we said:
Instead of cream, our recipe relies on the combination of butter, parmesan cheese, and starchy pasta water. The starch in the pasta water thickens the butter and cheese into a velvety smooth sauce that coats the noodles.
Thats true for fettuccine alfredo, and its true for this buttered pasta. Thanks to the combination of butter, cheese, and starchy pasta water, the noodles become lightly coated in a velvety, buttery sauce.
As for the noodles, I love using egg noodles just like the ones we use in chicken noodle soup. That doesnt mean you couldnt replace them with other pasta shapes. Spaghetti, linguini or curly shapes of pasta are perfect for catching the sauce.
For another cheesy pasta recipe, try our creamy stovetop mac and cheese.
We call for parmesan cheese. Its salty and flavorful in the sauce. If you dont have any on hand, swap it for other tasty cheeses like sharp cheddar or Gruyere.
For more easy pasta recipes, take a look at these:
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.
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Ingredients For The Best Chicken Soup
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs you can use bone-in chicken if you like, it will just need to be cooked longer, and then the meat picked off the bones.
- Chicken stock/broth I cook the chicken in a mixture of 4 cups broth and 4 cups of water, then use this broth for the base of the soup, adding more boxed broth as needed.
- Salt Normally I dont add salt to the ingredients list since its such a common ingredient, but its so important for the flavor of your soup.
- Veggies Onions and carrots, both peeled and chopped. Sometimes I add celery and you can add other veggies like peas or mushrooms.
- Herbs Fresh thyme sprigs , dried oregano, bay leaves and fresh parsley for the finishing touch.
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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
The Best Noodles And Condiments

You can buy fresh noodles at Asian markets, which is a nice treat, but dried rice noodles work perfectly as well. Even if you use fresh or dried, never cook the noodles in the broth.
If you do this, the broth will become cloudy. So, cook them in another pot and add the cooked noodles to your bowl just before adding hot broth.
As for condiments, were partial to Thai basil , fresh mint, crispy bean sprouts, a teeny tiny splash of fish sauce, and some Asian chili sauce.
Hoisin sauce is also pretty common, but we rarely add it ourselves it can take over the delicate deep flavor of the broth.
Oh, and while its not a secret make sure you have some freezer space to store some of that extra broth for the best make-ahead meal, ever!
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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*
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!
Simmer a whole chicken with broth flavourings for 1.5 hours to 2 hours until the flesh is tender enough to shred without effort
Remove scum that floats to the surface once or twice
Remove the chicken and the carrot etc
Shred the chicken. Youll need just under half for this recipe, save the rest for other uses
Make it even healthier and the broth even clearer! Refrigerate the broth so the fat hardens on the surface, then scoop it off.
Sauté onion, garlic, carrot and celery slowly The slower, the better! The vegetables become sweeter with a more intense flavour
Add homemade broth and noodles. Once the noodles are almost cooked, toss the chicken back in just to heat up
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How To Make The Best Chicken Noodle Soup
Weve made chicken soup for years and have tried it various ways. Weve even started from a whole chicken before.
Ill take a bowl of satisfying chicken soup any day, but this version is the one we circle back to. Its straight-forward and quick to make.
Its important to use good-quality chicken broth. While I wish we had homemade chicken broth in our freezer all the time, we dont. When reaching for store-bought broth, we go for low-sodium. We also look for a store-bought broth thats darker in color and since I know it usually has more of a backbone, I like to buy boxed bone broth .
In case you are wondering, we use Pacific Foods Bone Broth and also like the stock sold at Trader Joes.
Dont be afraid to season your soup. When it comes to soups, season early and check the seasoning often. Before we add the chicken thighs to the soup, we always check the seasoning level of the broth. If the flavor doesnt pop, add a bit more salt.
Another option is to use fish sauce. It may seem odd, but whenever were tasting something and its just missing that something something, a small dash of fish sauce fixes it. Fish sauce is a major ingredient in our Pho soup recipe.
As for the noodles, you can use whatever you love. We love the lightness of egg noodles, but you can throw just about any pasta into the pot. For another recipe that uses egg noodles, see our easy parmesan buttered noodles.
How To Make Chicken Soup From Scratch
When I say almost from scratch, I use fresh ingredients but I use a store-bought chicken stock to save a little time. There arent a ton of preservatives in the store-bought box stuff so I dont worry about feeding it to my family.
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The Best Bones For Making Pho
We make this at least once a month and always make sure there is leftover broth to freeze for another day. While it takes a bit of time, most of that is hands-off, so lets get going towards amazing pho at home, shall we?
You cant make an excellent soup without great beef bones. So, look for knuckle and leg bones that contain marrow. We buy beef knuckles from a local Asian market and find them to be pretty inexpensive.
Substituting store-bought beef broth for this homemade beef broth just wont cut it. We know our process takes longer than some, but trust me, this homemade pho broth has so much more flavor. You wont regret it.
You may also like these Pho-inspired grilled chicken wings!
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
- Oil or Butter To brown the chicken.
- Bone-In Chicken Thighs Thighs offer the best flavor, but you can also use a mix of bone-in thighs and breasts.
- Onion and Garlic For zesty undertones.
- Celery Sliced thin.
- Carrots Sliced into rounds.
- Chicken Broth The base of the soup.
- Fresh Thyme Leaves You could also use dried thyme, if you cant find it fresh.
- Bay Leaves For deep herby notes.
- Turmeric For color.
- Kluski Egg Noodles Because they taste and feel homemade.
- Chopped Parsley To add freshness at the end.
- Fresh Lemon Juice Also for freshness.
- Cornstarch Just a little, for thickening.
- Salt and Pepper Always.
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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.