This homemade chicken noodle soup recipe made from scratch is so comforting and packed with chicken, vegetables, homemade broth, and noodles.
No matter what time of year it is, soup is always on my menu. Whether it’s a family favorite Broccoli Cheddar or Pozole, we can’t get enough.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
I’m not sure there is a food item that is more comforting and filling than a delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup. Broth-based soups have been around in Asia since the 1200s and by the 1700s Italians were putting noodles into the broth and serving it to the sick because it’s easy to digest.
This recipe will take you from start to finish and will also show you how to use everything so that nothing is wasted.
How to Cook the Chicken
Whenever making chicken noodle soup I always recommend using a whole roasting or frying chicken. This way you can make the broth for the soup while cooking the chicken and using it for the recipe.
Add the whole chicken, or chickens, to a very large pot and cover it with water so that it is 4” over the top of the chicken.
Cook it over medium heat for 60-80 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the thigh meat reads over 165° internally.
Remove the chickens from the broth once they are cooked and set aside to cool on a platter or sheet tray for 10-15 minutes
Pull off the skin and discard, and then proceed to remove all of the cooked meat from the chicken carcass.
Further, pull apart the meat into bite-size pieces. There will be plenty of chicken so feel free to freeze up to 1/3 of it.
Do not discard the chicken carcasses because they only cooked for 60-80 minutes. A homemade chicken stock cooks for 6-8 hours so there is plenty of life left in those bones to make a stock at a later date. Freeze them in a plastic bag until you are ready to make it
What Kind of Noodles to Use
There are all sorts of noodles you can use in a chicken noodle soup. You can use anything from penne to rice noodles or even homemade pasta. Here are some of my favorites to use:
- Egg Noodles
- Kluski
- Farfalle
- Elbow Macaroni
- Fusilli
Be sure to use what you have and like, just make sure it’s not an overly long pasta like angel hair or spaghetti.
Other Ingredients You Can Add
Most homemade chicken noodle soup recipes consist of carrots, celery, onions, broth, chicken and noodles. With that being said you can absolutely add in other ingredients to further enhance the flavors plus add more vegetables to it including:
- Peas
- Corn
- Potatoes
- Baby Spinach
- Liam Beans
- Butter Beans
- Mushrooms
Make Chicken Noodle Soup in a Slow Cooker
You can easily adapt this recipe to make it in a slow cooker by starting with cutting the entire ingredient amount in half. In addition, it will take longer to make since you will need to cook the whole chicken first.
- Cook the chicken covered in water on high for 8 hours or until the chicken is cooked through and the thigh registers a 165° internal temperature. Remove and pull the chicken, discard the skin and save the bones for stock.
- Add the vegetables and pulled chicken to the broth in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or until the vegetables are tender. Finish with parsley, salt, and pepper and serve with cooked noodles.
Cook It in an Instant Pot
Just like in the slow cooker adaptation, cut the recipe in half first before making it in an instant pot.
- Add the chicken to the instant pot trivet and add water until it is just covering the chicken. Cover, set the valve to seal, and set on high pressure and cook for 6 minutes per pound.
- Release the pressure valve naturally until all steam has been released, remove the lid and then pull out the chicken, discard the skin and save the bones for stock.
- Add the vegetables and pulled chicken to the broth in the instant pot, place on the lid, seal the valve and cook on high for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Release the pressure valve naturally until all the steam has been released.
- Take the lid off and finish with parsley, salt, and pepper and serve with cooked noodles.
Recipe Chef Notes + Tips
Make-Ahead: Soup will always taste better the next day as flavors will have the chance to infuse. You can make this soup up to 2 days ahead of time.
How to Reheat: Place your desired amount into a saucepot and cook over low heat until hot. Likewise, you can add your desired amount to a microwave-safe bowl and heat until hot.
How to Store: Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. This soup makes a lot so to freeze, cover and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the fridge before reheating.
Cook, cool and keep the noodles separate so that they do not turn mushy in the soup over time. Simply add them to the bowl with the soup and serve.
Freeze up to 1/3 of the pulled chicken meat as all of it will not be needed.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
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Video
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 whole roasting chickens
- 2 pounds peeled sliced carrots
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 bunch sliced celery
- 2 small peeled small diced yellow onions
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 2 pounds egg noodles
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the chickens to a very large pot and cover them with water so that it is 4 inches over the chicken.
- Cook over medium heat for 60-80 minutes or until the chicken is cooked throughout and the thigh meat registers over 165° using a thermometer.
- Remove the chickens and cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing the skin and pulling the chicken meat away from the bones.
- Further, chop or pull the chicken meat into bite-size pieces. See note on the amount of chicken to freeze. Set the cooked chicken for the soup aside.
- While the chicken is cooking add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large rondeau or Dutch oven style pot over low heat and sweat the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic for 10-15 minutes or until slightly tender.
- Add the cooked vegetables to the pot with the chicken broth and also add in the cooked pulled chicken as well. Cook for 10-15 minutes over low heat.
- Finish the soup with the parsley, salt, and pepper.
- In the meantime, add the noodles to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until al dente, or slightly crunchy, according to the package cooking time directions.
- Remove the noodles and completely cool in a colander under cold running water until the noodles are cold. Keep them in a plastic bag and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil so that they do not stick together.
- Serve by adding a small amount of cooked, cooled noodles to a bowl along with the soup.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Soup will always taste better the next day as flavors will have the chance to infuse. You can make this soup up to 2 days ahead of time.
- How to Reheat: Place your desired amount into a saucepot and cook over low heat until hot. Likewise, you can add your desired amount to a microwave-safe bowl and heat until hot.
- How to Store: Cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. This soup makes a lot so to freeze, cover and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the fridge before reheating.
- Cook, cool and keep the noodles separate so that they do not turn mushy in the soup over time. Simply add them to the bowl with the soup and serve.
- Freeze up to 1/3 of the pulled chicken meat as all of it will not be needed.
Frank Frick says
Hello Chef Parisi,
I just made your homemade chicken soup tonight. It was relatively straight forward and good. However, it seemed to need quite a bit of seasoning when we were eating it so I’m curious if there are any tips on this.
Thank You
Chef Billy Parisi says
season and taste, that’s always the recommendation.
Linda Gilberto Bielecki says
Love making homemade chicken soup. It’s a staple in our home and we always have some in the freezer. My polish husband likes kluski noodles, but being Italian, I like mine with orzo or pastina!