As the leaves begin to change and fall ushers in the cooler weather my thoughts turn to hearty cold-weather recipes like this good old-fashioned chicken noodle soup recipe!
There are lots of soup recipes out there, but few offer the warmth, comfort, and amazing flavor of this simple, wholesome chicken soup. Rich full-flavored egg noodles, plenty of nutritious veggies, and a few secret ingredients make this chicken noodle soup a fan favorite. Comforting, warm, and cozy this is like a hug from grandma in soup form!
Would you like a few more tantalizing chicken soup recipes? I make these soups all the time! I hope you try them next!
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup: Perfect for those days when I’m in and out doing errands. The crockpot tends my soup pot!
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup: This is my most luxurious and ultra-comforting chicken soup. Some days, you just need a decadently delicious soup like this!
- Chicken and Rice Soup: This is the one I make most often and I find it to be the most comforting.
How To Make The Best Chicken Broth
The flavor of the soup broth is what separates a mediocre soup from a fabulous soup. The way to make a fabulous broth is to begin with a whole, raw, bone-in chicken and delicious aromatic vegetables.
First, the chicken is browned in the stock pot which creates a “fond,” (aka little brown bits) on the bottom of the pot. Those bits will be lifted into the broth when the water is added. They are like flavor bombs. The bones, along with the light and dark meat, all work in concert to create a liquid gold that a commercially prepared box of broth can’t compare to.
I also add some chicken-flavored Better Than Bouillon to the pot while my chicken cooks. I read about this tip in an old issue of Cook’s Illustrated. It’s a means of enhancing the chicken flavor to near perfection!
Best Noodles To Use
I like to go with a traditional egg noodle. My Grandma used to tell me stories about my great grandma, Christie, she used to make a big pot of this soup for the whole big family at the Riverside, CA farm.
So, I go with what she used! Other types of pasta can be delicious. I like celestini, rotini, farfalle, elbows, and, or mini penne.
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
- Chicken – There is also a point in the recipe where you’ll simmer the bone-in chicken, then transfer it to a plate and cut it into cubes.
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- Let your chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it. Otherwise, all that flavorful chicken juice will end up on the plate instead of in your soup. Resting your chicken will give the meat enough time to cool so that the juices flow back to the center and remain in the meat.
- Start with bone-in chicken. Bone-in meat is more flavorful, and it cooks more evenly. Bones are porous so they conduct heat. The bones, themselves add flavor as they heat up.
- Try shredding the chicken instead of cubing it or even using rotisserie chicken for convenience. You can even add some dark chicken meat, like thigh meat, or use a whole chicken.
- Salt and Pepper
- Vegetable Oil
- Garlic
- Chicken Broth
- Carrots
- Celery
- Bay Leaves
- Thyme Leaves
- Better Than Bouillon – This chicken noodle soup recipe calls for Better Than Bouillon (chicken flavor) and chicken broth. Many bouillon cubes are packed with a ton of salt and it’s hard to control the quantity of salt added, not so with Better Than Bouillon!
- Egg Noodles
- Parsley
Tips
- Pot: Since you’re making chicken noodle soup, you’re obviously going to use a pot. If you have one made from a heavier gauge material, it will be more effective and produce a better soup. I know it sounds crazy but using heavy-duty pots and pans helps distribute heat more evenly and prevents burning.
- Veggies: Sautéing your veggies is very important so don’t skip this step. It helps reduce the bitterness of the onion and garlic while coaxing out their fragrant aromas and sweet flavors. It will also help build your fond which will bloom into layers of flavor like you won’t believe! (Fond is the brown bits left behind after sautéing meat and veggies)
- I like to cube the veggies in my chicken noodle soup recipe so that they are all about the same size. This helps them cook evenly and ensures you can get a nice variety of flavors and textures in every bite
- Deglazing: In the next step, you’ll be lifting up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan with chicken broth. Don’t switch pans. This is known as deglazing, (more about it here ) and it is also crucial to the incredible flavor profile of your chicken noodle soup.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Your chicken noodle soup will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days. It is important to keep it in an airtight container with a secure lid. Put it in mason jars, single-portion containers, or a serving bowl – whatever works for you.
- Can You Freeze This? Well, yes and no. If you know you are going to freeze it, don’t put the noodles in. As I mentioned above, egg noodles are marvelous, but they will continue to soak up the broth as the soup cools. By the time your chicken noodle soup can go into the freezer, your egg noodles will be a mushy mess.
- Just prepare as directed without noodles and ladle into freezer-safe containers. When you are ready to serve your chicken noodle soup, just defrost it in a large pot over medium heat. Add the noodles when the soup starts to simmer and cook until al dente.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Making this chicken noodle soup recipe ahead of time will ensure that it is ready to go when you are. Again, prepare it without the noodles until you are ready to serve it. Simply bring your soup to a gentle boil and add your egg noodles. Be sure not to overcook them because they will continue to cook as the soup cools.
- Food Safety: Here are the USDA refrigeration and freezing articles.
Serving Recommendations
I like to serve this with some type of bread to dunk into the rich, golden chicken broth. If I have time to make homemade bread, I turn to my beer bread or Bisquick biscuits for easy and quick companions.
If I’m organized and think ahead, I plan to make my lion house rolls which are also a fantastic partner for their buttery and tender texture, or my own personal favorite, garlic and herb parker house rolls. All are promised to be delicious dunkers!
More Chicken Soup Recipes
- Chicken Potato Soup
- Lemon Chicken Soup
- Chicken Florentine Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Taco Soup
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 (3-3 1/2) pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 10 cups water
- 1 cup carrots cubed
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 heaping tablespoon Better Than Bouillon (chicken flavor)
- 8 ounces egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat chicken (1 pound) dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large pot, heat oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches, skin side down; cook until dark golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a plate removing and discarding the skin. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot.
- Saute the onions (1 1/2 cups) in the drippings over medium heat until soft and tender, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic (3 cloves) to the onions and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the water (10 cups), stirring to lift up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, and bring to a boil. Add the celery (1 cup), carrots (1 cup), bay leaves (2), thyme (1 tablespoon), 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 heaping tablespoon Better Than Bouillon (chicken flavor), and the browned chicken. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender about 25-30 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate. Remove the soup from the heat and add the noodles (8 ounces). Let stand, covered until the noodles are tender 20-22 minutes.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into 1/2-inch chunks. Return to chicken to the pot and stir in the parsley. Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning. Serve
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Pot: Since you’re making chicken noodle soup, you’re obviously going to use a pot. If you have one made from a heavier gauge material, it will be more effective and produce a better soup. I know it sounds crazy but using heavy-duty pots and pans helps distribute heat more evenly and prevents burning.
- Veggies: Sautéing your veggies is very important so don’t skip this step. It helps reduce the bitterness of the onion and garlic while coaxing out their fragrant aromas and sweet flavors. It will also help build your fond which will bloom into layers of flavor like you won’t believe! (Fond is the brown bits left behind after sautéing meat and veggies)
- I like to cube the veggies in my chicken noodle soup recipe so that they are all about the same size. This helps them cook evenly and ensures you can get a nice variety of flavors and textures in every bite
- Deglazing: In the next step, you’ll be lifting up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan with chicken broth. Don’t switch pans. This is known as deglazing, (more about it here ) and it is also crucial to the incredible flavor profile of your chicken noodle soup.
This is, hands down, the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever made. I used boneless breasts , but browning them first added a whole lot of depth of flavor.
Thank you, I’ll be using this recipe from now on!
I’m so happy you enjoyed Andrea!!! I love this soup, too!
Hello – I’m confused as the recipe says add water to the brown bits and then add carrots etc. but in the notes you say to sauté carrots first. So you don’t sauté the carrots in the onion oil mixture? You do that in a separate pan first and then add them?
Thanks!
Hi! That’s for aromatics. Sorry for the confusion!
I live in the uk so can’t buy “better than buillion” chicken stock
Hi, Judith! You can use chicken broth instead. Enjoy 🙂
This is delicious…
I couldn’t agree more, Debra! 😀
Thanks for sharing various options and freezing instructions. I’m often a “cook once, eat 3 times” meal planner. Enjoy your recipes.
Hi, Christine! Thank you, glad those instructions helped! I do that too, hehe. 🙂