Chicken Noodle Soup

What You’ll Need

Familiar ingredients make up this easy chicken noodle soup recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.

For the Chicken Stock

• Chicken – A whole chicken creates both the broth and the chicken meat for the soup.
• Water – This is the base of the chicken stock.
• Onion – I use a yellow onion but a white one will also work. I’d stay away from red onions, as they can impart a pinkish color to the stock and the chicken meat.
• Celery – This adds classic chicken noodle soup flavor to the stock.

For the Chicken Noodle Soup

• Butter – I like to add a little butter to most of my soups. It adds a touch of rich flavor and a silky texture.
• Veggies – Mom sticks with the classic vegetables: carrots, onion, and celery. Plus a little garlic for extra depth.
• Dried herbs – While I’m usually partial to adding fresh herbs to soups, I’m all in on using dried herbs for this recipe. It just works. You’ll need dried parsley, bay leaf, and savory. If you don’t have savory, substitute with an equal amount of dried thyme.
• Seasonings – Mom keeps it super simple, with just salt, black pepper, and celery salt.
• Chicken base – I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base when I want to boost the chicken flavor in the broth.
• Egg noodles – I recommend Reames frozen homestyle egg noodles. Add them frozen; do not thaw first.

How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup

I’ve outlined in the photos below how to make homemade chicken stock as well as the soup. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

• Make the stock. Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Add the onions and celery.
• Simmer. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently for about 1 hour, until the chicken is super tender.
• Shred chicken. Remove the chicken, let it cool, then shred it into bite-sized pieces.
• Strain. Remove the onion and celery from the stock with a strainer or large slotted spoon.

• Make the soup. Turn the heat to medium and melt in the butter. Stir in the vegetables, dried herbs, and seasonings, and bring to a simmer.
• Add chicken. Stir in the shredded chicken.
• Up the chicken flavor. Taste the soup broth. If desired, add chicken base, to taste.

• Finish. Stir in the frozen egg noodles and simmer until the noodles are tender. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot!

Tips & Variations

I hope this recipe proves to you how easy it is to make chicken noodle soup from scratch. Try a few of these tips to help you make this soup, plus a few variations to try once you’ve gotten the hang of the original recipe.

• Use a whole chicken. The bones and skin give the broth lots of flavor. This is not a recipe for boneless chicken breasts!
• Use fresh dried herbs. Dried herbs lose flavor over time. For the best flavor, use ones that are not expired.
• Don’t forget the salt. Be sure to taste the soup before serving, and to add more salt if needed. Salt not only adds savory flavor, but it also plays a big part in distinguishing different flavors.
• Don’t rush it. This soup needs to simmer for awhile to get the most flavor out of the chicken, vegetables, and herbs. But this requires very little active participation. Just go about your other business and enjoy the wonderful, comforting smells of homemade chicken noodle soup on the stovetop!
• Use store-bought broth + rotisserie chicken. I’ll never make this soup with a store-bought broth, but you can if you want. Simply use 10 cups of good-quality chicken stock instead of homemade in this recipe, and start with Step 6 in the recipe card. Then shred a pre-made rotisserie chicken and add it to the soup in Step 7.
• Try it with turkey. Use this method to make homemade turkey noodle soup! It’s a great way to use up the Thanksgiving leftovers. Then use store-bought chicken or turkey broth and add in shredded turkey rather than chicken. Follow the rest of the recipe as it’s written.
• Stir in more vegetables. If you want to increase the veggies, add green beans or sliced mushrooms along with the other vegetables in Step 6. You could also throw in some baby spinach when you add the egg noodles!

Serving Suggestions

This chicken noodle soup recipe definitely qualifies as a one-pot meal. But sometimes I like to add in sides like fresh bread and/or a salad to round it out. Here are a few serving options to try:

• Crackers. We offer crackers on the table with most soup meals at our house – usually saltine crackers or oyster crackers.
• Rolls. My family likes to dip soft homemade Rhodes rolls into their soup. Popovers or sourdough popovers are also WONDERFUL!
• Cornbread. My honey cornbread muffins are always a favorite.
• Bread. Or, pick up a loaf of crusty fresh bread, warm it up, and offer some creamy salted butter to slather over the top.
• Salad. Soup & salad is a classic combo. I like to toss together a big bowl of winter apple salad or arugula beet salad and serve it beside hot soup.

How to Store & Reheat Leftovers

Chicken noodle soup is wonderful to stash in the fridge for a meal later in the week. Here’s what to do with your leftovers:

• Fridge – Transfer cooled homemade chicken noodle soup to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Freezer – You can freeze chicken noodle soup with or without noodles in sealable, freezer-safe bags or freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Divide the soup into individual portions to make it easier to serve later if you wish. Make sure to thaw the frozen soup completely in the fridge before reheating.
• To Reheat – Heat homemade chicken noodle soup in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat until it’s hot and steaming. Or, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 1 minute, stir, then continue to heat in 30-second increments until the soup is heated through.