How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup
When I think of chicken noodle soup, I think of my mother. She made it for us whenever someone felt sick or when the first cold front arrived. It’s rich and nourishing, yet gentle enough to go down easily.
This chicken noodle soup is the kind you make when you want your home to smell warm. It’s for when you need something that feels like it came from a mother’s kitchen, even if you’re figuring it out for the first time.
There’s a reason this is one of the most searched recipes online. It’s not just hunger driving people here. It’s comfort and the need for something real. People seek something made with care, something that truly helps.
This recipe gives you exactly that.
How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup
Homemade Broth:
- 1.8 kg / 3.5 lb whole chicken , rinsed and cleaned, the best quality you can afford (Note 1)
- 1 head of garlic , cut in half horizontally
- 2 carrots , cut into chunks
- 2 celery ribs , cut into chunks
- 2 onions , peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves , fresh or dried
- 4 thyme sprigs (or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves)
- 9 – 10 cups water (enough to just cover chicken)
Soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion ( diced )
- 3 garlic cloves ( minced )
- 2 medium carrots ( chopped )
- 2 celery ribs ( cut into thick pieces )
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 2 litres / 4 cups of homemade chicken broth
- 200 g/ 6 oz egg noodles or pasta of your choice
- 2 – 3 tsp chicken stock powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 thyme sprigs ( optional )
- 1 bay leaf , optional
- Finely chopped parsley to garnish
1. Start by making your chicken broth and chicken. In a large pot, insert your whole chicken.
2. Next add in the the aromatics we’re going to use to flavor the broth starting with onions, which should be quartered.
3. Next add in celery.
4. Add in chopped carrots.
5. Next, add in garlic and bay leaves.
6. Add in thyme and peppercorns.
7. Finally, fill the pot with water, about 10 cups, or just enough to cover the chicken.
9. Cover the pot with lid and turn the heat to medium high and simmer for about 1.5 – 2 hours for flavorful broth and tender chicken.
10. Once the chicken starts to simmer, about 45 minutes later, remove to scoop scum of the broth to keep your broth clear.
11. After 2-hrs, your chicken should be nice and tender and broth will be ready.
12. Transfer the whole chicken to a pan. Shred the chicken for the chicken noodle soup and discard the bones and skin. You won’t need all the shredded meat for this recipe, so save any remaining for later.
13. Clear the broth by sieving it to remove the aromatics that have done their job.
14. Optional, refrigerate the broth for a few hours to remove the extra fat. It’s so much easier this way as the fat solidifies and you can just scoop it out.
15. Now to make the soup, heat oil in a large pot over a medium high heat. Add in onions and garlic and allow to cook for about 2 minutes until the onions are almost translucent.
16. Add in carrots and celery, stir to combine and allow to cook for at least 3 minutes until soft.
17. Once they’re all cooked, add in broth we just made earlier. About 8 cups or however much you need.
18. Season it with chicken seasoning , salt, black pepper. Add in aromatics ( thyme, bay leaves, and pepper) and stir to combine.
19. Bring everything to a gentle boil.
20. Now it’s time to make your pasta, always make your pasta separately as adding it to the broth directly will only lead to a super thick soup not a clear broth and for this recipe, we want a clear broth. To large pot of boiling water, add in the pasta and cook as per package instructions. I like my pasta a bit chewy so i cook for about 7-minutes. Once cooked, drain the pasta and wash with cold water to stop the cooking process. Once done you can add in to the chicken soup pot
21. Once pasta is done, add it to the chicken soup, add in the shredded chicken, give it a stir and the chicken noodle soup is ready. Chicken is already cooked and tender, you don’t want to overcook it, about 1-minuet in the soup is enough to warm it up.
22. Your chicken noodle soup is now ready. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Garnish with parsley to serve.
Important recipe notes!!
- A whole chicken simmered slowly makes the best versions of this soup. Yes it takes longer, about 1.5 to 2 hours, but the broth it creates is outstanding. Don’t want to deal with whole chicken, used chicken thighs, bone-in and with skin to achieve same results as whole chicken.
- Homemade chicken stock is the best base. If you have some in your freezer, whether from a previous batch or made from a roasted carcass, use it. It makes the final soup richer, more complex, and full of flavor compared to anything from store bought.
- Skim the foam every time, when making broth, without exception. This foam consists of coagulated blood and protein from the chicken. While it is harmless, it makes the broth taste muddy and look murky, and it will keeps forming until you remove it. Use a fine mesh skimmer, a large spoon, or a ladle to skim it off during the first 10 to 15 minutes of simmering. After about 15 minutes, the foam stops forming and you can leave the pot alone. A skimmed broth looks clear and golden. An unskimmed broth looks grey and murky.
- Carrots, celery and onions form the soup’s flavor foundation. Use medium dice for onion, medium coins for carrot, and medium slices for celery. If they are too small, they disappear into the broth. If they are too large, they won’t soften properly during cooking. Medium-sized pieces ensure you have vegetables in every spoonful without them being chunky.
- Always cook your noodles separately. Always. Noodles contain starch and starch absorbs liquid. When you cook noodles in the broth, they soak up the broth while they cook and continue to absorb it after cooking as the pot cools and even when you refrigerate. By the next day, you won’t have soup with noodles; you’ll have a thick, starchy paste where the broth used to be.
- Chicken noodle soup is one of the best dishes to freeze, but there is one important rule: freeze only the broth and chicken. Never freeze the noodles as the starch structure breaks down in the freezer. Instead, freeze the broth with the shredded chicken and vegetables. Add fresh noodles when you reheat and serve. This takes just three extra minutes and keeps your freezer from being filled with disappointing soup.
How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Method
- In a large pot, insert your whole chicken
- Next, add in the the aromatics ( onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns.)
- Fill the pot with water or enough to cover the chicken
- Cover the pot with lid and simmer for about 1.5 – 2 hours
- Once the chicken starts to simmer, about 45 minutes later, remove to scoop scum of the broth to keep your broth clear.
- After 2-hrs, your chicken should be nice and tender and broth will be ready
- Transfer the whole chicken to a pan
- Shred the chicken breast for the chicken noodle soup and discard the bones and skin
- Clear the broth by sieving it to remove the aromatics
- Spoon off the extra oil at the top broth
- Now to make the soup, heat oil in a large pot over a medium high heat
- Add in onions and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until the onions are almost translucent
- Add in carrots and celery, stir and allow to cook for at least 3 minutes until soft
- Once they’re all cooked, add in homemade broth we just made earlier.
- Season it with chicken seasoning , salt, black pepper
- Add in aromatics ( thyme, bay leaves, and pepper) and stir to combine.
- Bring everything to a gentle boil
- To large pot of boiling water, season generously with salt, add in the pasta and cook as per package instructions
- Once cooked, drain the pasta and wash with cold water to stop the cooking process
- Once pasta is done, add it to the chicken soup along with the shredded chicken
- Stir and cook for about 1-minute enough to combine and warm up the shredded chicken.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly
- Garnish with parsley to serve.
- Your chicken noodle soup is now ready