A homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe made from scratch using a whole chicken. With a beautifully flavoured golden chicken broth, this is a classic everyone should know!
Made the old fashioned way by boiling a whole chicken, you can toss in any vegetables, noodles or pasta and it’s going to be amazing. And everybody knowns Chicken Soup is the best soup for a cold!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – from scratch!
Simmering a whole chicken with root vegetables and herbs creates a delicious homemade stock for the soup, into which the chicken meat is shredded alongside chopped and sauteed vegetables. This is a Chicken Noodle Soup made the old fashioned way!
Regular readers know that “cool” is certainly not my middle name. I’m not one for following food trends. I just like good food done right. I’ll give foam and cauliflower crust pizza a miss thanks! 😂
The BEST soup for a cold??
“Everyone” knows that when you’re struck down with Man Flu*, the only thing that will nurse you back to health is Chicken soup….
While it’s questionable whether it’s been conclusively scientifically proven that Chicken soup is even better than medicine, here’s 3 reasons why Chicken soup (noodle or otherwise) is a great remedy for a cold:
- Hydration from the natural salt in chicken;
- Warm non-creamy soup broth and steam helps clear nasal and throat passageways; and
- Immune boosting antioxidants and nutrition from carrots, celery, onion and garlic.
From a practical perspective, it’s light so it’s easy to stomach, doesn’t require much effort to chew or (heaven forbid!) the effort of a knife and fork. And even when you’re sick, you can still appreciate the tastiness of a beautiful Chicken Noodle soup!
* Man Flu official definition according to Dictionary.com: “a case of the common cold as suffered by a man, implying that he is exaggerating the debilitating effects of the illness” Just saying’…..
How to make this good old fashioned chicken noodle soup
Yes there’s more steps than quick and easy chicken noodle soup recipes, but it is so worth it because this broth is something money can’t buy!
Simmer (don’t boil!) a whole chicken with broth flavourings (celery, carrot, garlic, peppercorns, herbs) for 1.5 hours to 2 hours until the flesh is tender enough to shred without effort;
Remove scum that floats to the surface once or twice;
Remove the chicken and the carrot etc;
Shred the chicken. You’ll need just under half for this recipe, save the rest for other uses;
Make it even healthier – and the broth even clearer! Refrigerate the broth so the fat hardens on the surface, then scoop it off.
Sauté onion, garlic, carrot and celery slowly – The slower, the better! The vegetables become sweeter with a more intense flavour;
Add homemade broth and noodles. Once the noodles are almost cooked, toss the chicken back in just to heat up;
Serve!
Best pasta for Chicken Noodle Soup
You can use any type of noodles or pasta for Chicken Noodle Soup. Short twisted egg noodles and pasta shapes are ideal – for ease of eating.
I tend to use whatever I have. For long straight pastas like fettuccine (which is what I used because I had it), just break them into 3 or 4 pieces for ease of eating.
How to ensure your soup broth is clear
One of the things we all love about a great chicken noodle soup is how clear the broth is. Transparent – yet full of flavour! There’s a few tricks to the clear broth:
Simmer the chicken really gently. Harder boil gets the chicken jiggling around = murkier broth
Scoop the scum off the surface (#2 in photo below);
Let the broth settle (or refrigerate overnight). You’ll find that the bottom of the broth becomes darker as “stuff” settles on the base of the pot. Then gently pour the broth into the soup pot, leaving behind the darker broth that settled to the bottom of the pot;
Don’t brown the sautéed onion, carrots and celery. Brown veggies = brown broth!
Don’t stir the pasta while it boils. That activates the starch in the pasta, making the broth cloudier.
What to do with leftover chicken
You probably won’t even use half the meat on the chicken for this Chicken Noodle Soup. So here’s a few ideas for things to make with the leftover cooked chicken:
White Chicken Enchiladas or Quesadillas (just pan fry shredded chicken briefly with Quesadilla seasoning)
Make a Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup!
I kept the veggies in the soup fairly classic, using just onion, carrots and celery. But don’t let my lack of imagination deter you – add whatever you want! – Nagi xx
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – from scratch!
Watch how to make it
Homemade chicken noodle soup recipe video!
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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (from scratch!)
Ingredients
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 horiztonally
- 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 , cut in quarters lengthwise then chopped
- 2 celery ribs , cut into 1 cm/ 1/2″ thick pieces
- 2 cups shredded chicken (from homemade broth)
- 2 litres / 2 quarts homemade chicken broth (above)
- 200 g/ 6 oz egg noodles or pasta of choice (Note 3)
- 2 – 3 tsp Vegeta or other stock powder (Note 4)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 thyme sprigs , optional
- 1 bay leaf , optional
- Finely chopped parsley , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Broth:
- Place the chicken in a large pot. Add remaining Broth ingredients, then add enough water so the chicken is just covered (too much water = weak broth).
- Cover with lid, bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Then adjust heat so it’s simmering GENTLY with the lid on. Simmer 1.5 hours until chicken is tender and easily comes off the bone. (Or 8 hours on low in a slow cooker)
- Scoop scum off surface once or twice during first 30 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to pan. Shred meat and discard bones. You'll only need half the chicken meat, save the rest for another purpose.
- Remove carrots, celery etc from broth, and discard. Optional: Chop carrot and celery, add back into soup with chicken. (Note 5)
- Optional: Refrigerate soup for a few hours until the fat sets, then scoop the fat off the surface (I do this, healthier & makes soup clearer).
Soup:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium meat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots, cook for 5 minutes until softened and a bit sweet, don’t let them brown.
- Turn heat up to medium high. Gently pour 8 cups broth in (top up with water if necessary), leaving behind residue settled in the bottom of the broth pot.
- Add Vegeta (stock powder), thyme, bay leaf and pepper. Stir.
- When it starts bubbling, add noodles/pasta. Cook for time per packet MINUS 2 minutes. Stir gently only once or twice (Note 6).
- Add half the chicken, stir (it warms quickly), then season with salt and pepper to taste – season well!
- Serve soup immediately, garnished with fresh parsley.
Recipe Notes:
1. Chicken size: This recipe will work fine for any chicken larger than 1.5kg/3lb. Any smaller and the broth flavour may be slightly lacking but you can just top up flavour with Vegeta, or chicken or vegetable stock powder/crumbled bouillon cube. Will also work with: drumsticks, bone in skin on thighs. 3. Noodles: Any pasta or noodles work perfectly here. Short, wide twisted noodles/pasta are ideal for ease of eating. Break Lon strand pasta into 3 or 4. I typically use whatever I have – I used fettuccine in the photos/video. 4. Vegeta – Vegeta is a brand of vegetable stock powder, labelled “Gourmet Seasoning” and “All Purpose Seasoning” in the US & Canada. See here for a photo, video, and here it is on Amazon US. Read in this post about Vegeta and MSG misconceptions! It’s my favourite stock powder to use in soup broths because of the flavour, colour, clarity and that you get little “bits” in the soup. It’s sold in the herb & spice aisle of supermarkets here in Australia. You can use stock powder (same amount)or crumbled bouillon cube (1 for each teaspoon) – use chicken or vegetable. 5. Cooked carrots & celery – I tend to discard because stove simmering for this long makes them extremely soft, bordering on mushy. If using slow cooker, they tend to have a better texture so I chop and toss them in (like in Slow Cooker Ham Bone Soup). But you can add them if you want – extra veg! 6. Stirring lots = activates pasta starch = cloudy broth 7. How to store Chicken Noodle Soup: Noodles bloat! So best to separate the noodles and veggies from the soup, then store separately. Will keep for 3 – 4 days in the fridge. Broth will freeze for months. Things to make with Leftover Chicken: You’ll only use 1/2 the chicken, if that. See in post for a list of suggestions of things to make! 8. Nutrition per serving.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2017. Updated with new words, new photos, a better video. Very minor changes to recipe to streamline / improve flavour slightly!
Life of Dozer
When I take him to a park, all I have to do is find a bird in a tree. Then he exercises himself.
Can you double this recipe?
You sure can – if your pot is big enough!
Yo, what did you do with the strained broth veggies?
I toss them because all the flavour has been sucked out of them and is in the soup, and they are considerably overcooked!!
In the middle east, they bring the whole chicken to a boil in the water and then toss out the water. Then they scrub the chicken and then continue on with the recipe. That seemed to get rid of any “scum”. Just a thought!
Can i replacethe bay leave and thyme for veg stock and the celery for potatoes ?
I love hearing that!!
I’m cooking with a 5.21lbs chicken. Should I add an extra half hour to the cook time?
That sounds about right Nicole 🙂 Don’t worry the recipe is rather forgiving for the chicken cook time 🙂 N x
I’m planning to make today and won’t be home until late due to my kiddos football practice! What steps of the soup can I do before and which should I do at the last minute? I’ll be making the broth early, then the base around 4. Is it too long to let the noodles and chicken sit in the soup until after 6? Thanks and can’t wait to try!!!
I think 2 hours is too long, I would cook the whole thing but separate the noodles, then reheat the soup and plonk the cooked noodles in! N x
Your recipe looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
How do you feel about making this in a crockpot?
I feel good about making this in a crockpot! 😉 See step 1 in the recipe, at the end. N xx
Okay so you made me hungry for chicken noodle soup. My husband makes a recipe very close to yours. He uses skinless bone-in thighs. He just puts the whole thigh in there about four or five of them and he let them cook with the veggies and the broth until the chicken falls off the bone. He also likes to add mushrooms to this soup and at the very end he’ll put about 9 green olives for that Briny salty effect. And I love all your recipes by the way.
Hi Nagi! I found you through intagram and you have instantly become my “go to” for recipes! You are amazing! Thank you 🙂 I’m wondering if the leftover chicken from this recipe can be used for your “chicken broccoli pasta bake”. Or does that chicken HAVE to be raw?
That’s so flattering Linda, thank you! Raw is how I make it but because it’s saucy, leftover cooked chicken is fine too 🙂 N x
Made this for dinner tonight with gluten free pasta. It was delicious! All the kids said they really liked it too.
Thank you for the review Jennifer, it’s so terrific to hear you enjoyed this! N xx
I like all kind of soup but your recipe is intresting to cook as well as to taste.
Thank you Noor! I hope you try this! N xx
Made the soup yesterday for dinner with fresh Baked baguettes. Reminds me that simple fare cooked well can be so satisfying. I followed your suggestion of slow cooking the chicken (next time i’ll cook for a shorter time) and also made egg noodles with two cups of flour and six egg yolks. It was a real hit. I love your approach regarding ignoring fads and staying focused on flavor.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it Jim! Thank you for your kind words, I’m flattered! N xx
could I freeze the left overs?
Yes! Please separate the noodles from the liquid 🙂 N x
Best soup I’ve eaten, maybe in my life. I was amazed by it’s taste. Thank you for this recipe!
That’s terrific Daniel! So pleased you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know – N xx
My Jewish mother-in-law makes great chicken soup using a recipe very similar to yours. She would disagree with you on the chicken to be used, however – Jewish cooks tend to use older birds, which are sold (here in England, if you can find them in these days of standardisation) as “boiling fowl”. These birds are too tough to roast, but they give a fabulous flavour to the broth. Hmm, must go and visit soon…
Hi Nagi
This is best chicken soup recipe I have found, thank you for the tip to “buy free range chicken or best chicken can buy” . Thank you so much.
Aww Ai Tang! I’m so flattered, thank you! N xx
Hey again Nagi
My husband Kym made this lovely soup for dinner last Friday from scratch.
The soup is bursting with flavour from the fresh ingredients. I usually find myself tweaking a recipe but there was no way he was going to tweak a Nagi recipe even to the point of separating the noodles and veges.
You’re right, there was a fair amount of leftover chicken much to the delight of our pups.
Kym was so proud of the final product, it was posted to Facebook. I too am very proud of him. This is a really nice ‘feel good’ soup. Thanks again for sharing.
You are so lucky to have such a wonderful husband Barb!!! And I’m SUPER pleased you both enjoyed it. 🙂 I wish I could add a photo function to my website so I could SEE!!!
I just discovered your website! Your recipes look great and I can’t wait to try some of them. I was wondering what kind of a single burner/hotplate you use? I need to get one but am finding it hard to find one that really gets hot enough to boil. Thanks again!
Hi Rita! I use one I got from an Asian grocery store – Asians are mad for gas burners because they use them for DIY hot pots at the dinner table 🙂
This looks delicious 😋 my mother died before teaching me how she made her chicken noodle soup. However, she did mention her ‘secret’ ingredient was fish sauce. I’ve been trying out different recipes over the years and will give this one a go….with the addition of her ‘secret’ ingredient of course 😊
I’m sorry to hear your mother is no longer with you 🙂 I do love that tip though! Fish sauce adds great umami!
Suggestion: If you would consider adding a leek to the recipe I believe it will improve the flavor immensely.
IMHO, I have made a soup very similar to this for years and found out the hard way it taste much better with a leek added & plenty of garlic. Just a suggestion.
Ooooh! LEEK, I love that idea 🙂 So you add it to the broth as well as the soup itself? N xx