This easy chicken noodle soup is made with a savory chicken broth, soft veggies, potatoes, and yummy noodles. It’ll take you back to your childhood with each warm slurp.
How to Make Chicken Noodle From Scratch
Before you start, prep the ingredients to save on time. Peel and chop the carrots and potatoes, and slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. With everything prepped ahead of time, making the soup is a breeze!
- Make the broth: Pour in three quarts of chicken broth into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add the sliced carrots and cooked chicken, then let it cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes: Add in chopped potatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Cook the noodles: Add in the noodles, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and cook until noodles are done. Add in scallions and other fresh herbs.
- Serve: Serve the soup while it’s still hot!
Hot tip: If you’re starting off with raw chicken, make your own homemade broth with onions, celery, and carrots. Then use the fresh broth and cooked chicken to make the remainder of the chicken soup.
Ingredient Tips for Simple Chicken Noodle Soup
Everyone has a homemade chicken noodle soup recipe — but with these ingredients, your soup will be the talk of the town!
- Broth: For the best tasting broth, either make your own homemade chicken broth or use our favorite store-bought broth concentrate — Better than Bouillon. Both are great options!
- Veggies: The classic veggie combination for our soup includes carrots and scallions.
- Noodles: What are the best noodles for chicken noodle soup? We love thin egg noodles, but feel free to use spaghetti, ABC pastas (kids LOVE these) or any other noodles you have on hand.
- Potatoes: Even though potatoes are not a common ingredient in this soup, we love our chicken noodle soup with potatoes as they add more heartiness and texture.
- Chicken: Dark meat (or chicken thighs) lend the best flavor for soup. It has the most fat, is most tender, and is typically closest to the bone (where all the decadent marrow lies).
Flavor Additions
Upgrade your classic chicken noodle soup to the next level by adding a few of these ingredients. You’ll love the flavor boost these foods give!
- Fresh herbs: Dill, fresh parsley, basil, bay leaves, fresh thyme, and oregano are all great herby options to add to your soup. Avoid using them all as the taste will be overpowering, so choose a few of your favorites to start with!
- Seasoning: Salt and pepper are always a must — however, for even more flavor, add red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. A spice blend, like Lawry’s, is another great option to add a more smoky and robust flavor.
- Vegetables: Mix things up and add more veggies like kale, spinach, corn, mushrooms, or broccoli.
Tips from the Kitchen
There is nothing hard about this easy chicken noodle soup recipe. For the overall best flavor and texture, follow these two tips.
- Use leftover chicken: When you have leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, shred it up and use it in place of cooked chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
- Avoid overcooking the noodles: Avoid adding the noodles too soon or they will overcook. Overcooked noodles become mushy.
Serving Suggestions
What’s a bowl of chicken noodle soup without a slice of bread on the side? For a great soup-and-bread pairing, make a fresh loaf of sourdough bread or up the flavor with cheesy bread or Ukrainian garlic pampushky. Add a bit of crunch to the soup by crumbling sourdough crackers on top. When you’re looking for a cool veggie side to go with the warm soup, make a soup-and-salad combo with Italian pasta salad, farro salad with lemon vinaigrette, or roasted beet salad with goat cheese.
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
Chicken noodle soup is a great soup option for those who like to have a soup ready to eat in the fridge at all times. To keep the best flavor and texture in the soup, follow these storing and reheating tips.
- Refrigerator: To store for up to five days, pour cooled chicken soup into an airtight container and refrigerate.
- Freezer: To store for up to six months, store cooled soup in an airtight container. Avoid using glass containers as the liquid in the soup expands while freezing and may bust the glass. Keep in mind, the pasta may become mushy when thawed. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or reheat directly from frozen.
- Reheating: Reheat individual portions of the soup in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. To reheat larger portions, pour the soup into a pot and warm on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Stir the soup to help it evenly warm.
Storage tip: If you’re planning to have lots of leftovers, keep the noodles separate from the soup. Add fresh noodles to the soup as you warm it. This way, the noodles will not be mushy and wont absorb all the liquid.
FAQ
Is chicken noodle soup a freezer meal?Â
Chicken noodle soup can definitely be a freezer meal! Store leftovers up to six months in the freezer. However, if you’re planning to make a batch to primarily freeze, consider omitting the pasta until you’re ready to eat, as pasta in soup can become mushy after being thawed.Â
Can I put raw chicken into chicken noodle soup?
Yes, you can start chicken noodle soup by first cooking the raw chicken in the water or broth. This will essentially make the chicken broth portion of the soup as the raw chicken cooks.Â
How do I add more flavor to my chicken noodle soup?
For optimal flavor, make sure your soup is salted well (salt brings out flavors), use a high-Â quality chicken broth (or make your own), and add in your favorite herbs.
More Soup Recipes
- Zuppa Toscana Soup — A copycat of the famous Olive Garden soup. It may not come with bottomless salad or breadsticks, but it tastes delicious!
- Chicken Tortilla Soup – A year round favorite with all the toppings
- Classic Borscht — This Ukrainian and Russian classic warms the soul. The beef broth is sour and packed with cabbage.
- Split Pea Soup — Great way to use up the Christmas ham bone leftovers.
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup — Creamy, filling, and simply irresistible!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 qts chicken broth
- 1 large carrot sliced into bite-size pieces
- 1 lb cooked chicken sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 medium potatoes sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup noodles
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp salt adjust to taste
- 1/2 cup scallions chopped
Instructions
- Fill a pot with 3 quarts of chicken broth, bring to a boil. Add sliced carrots and chicken; let it cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add potatoes and let it simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Add noodles and season with black pepper and salt, to taste. Cook until the noodles are fully cooked. Add scallions and other fresh herbs.
- Serve while the soup is hot.
That looks soooo goooood!!
Thank you very much, Darleen!
Easy and yummy for the whole family!
Dilyara, I am so happy that the whole family is loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Just curiius, do you put raw or cooked chicken? Thanks!
You can use either. I usually use raw and boil it but if I use cooked one I don't do the initial 10-15 of boiling.