Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup is a classic comfort dish made with tender chicken, hearty egg noodles, and fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, and onion simmered in a flavorful chicken broth. Finished with parsley for freshness, it’s perfect for warming up on chilly days. Serve with crusty bread for a complete cozy meal.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My CopyCat Panera Bread Chicken Noodle Soup or this Carrot Potato Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Chicken Noodle Soup doesn’t just comfort—it surprises you with bold little touches that make it unforgettable. Using rotisserie chicken saves time but still gives you that rich, homemade flavor without the extra work. And the pinch of red pepper flakes adds just enough warmth to make each spoonful feel cozy and healing without overwhelming the classic taste.

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Ingredient List

The Flavor Foundation:

• ½ tablespoon butter
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 3–4 large carrots, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced

The Soul of the Soup:

• 10 cups chicken stock (homemade or store-bought)
• Salt, to taste
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon dried rosemary, to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste or granules (optional, for added flavor)

The Heart and Body:

• A batch of homemade egg noodles (or about 4 cups of dry egg noodles, farfalle, or other small pasta)
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

Substitution Friends: Out of rotisserie chicken? Leftover roast chicken works. No egg noodles? Any short pasta does the job. Vegetarian stock plus cooked chicken thighs gets you there too.

Why These Ingredients Work

Butter makes vegetables taste like themselves but better – oil just slides around uselessly. That garlic gets exactly thirty seconds before it turns bitter and ruins everything. Rosemary tastes like pine trees in the best possible way, thyme adds brightness without being flowery, and red pepper flakes wake up your sinuses. Rotisserie chicken already did the hard work of developing flavor for eight hours in someone else’s oven. Bouillon paste fixes weak stock – some brands need help, others don’t.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Big stockpot, sharp knife, cutting board, wooden spoon for stirring. A ladle makes serving cleaner. If you’re rolling homemade noodles, get your pasta machine ready or prepare your rolling pin arm workout.

How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup

Step 1: Start Your Base

Melt butter in stockpot over medium-high heat until it smells nutty. Add celery and carrots, stir occasionally for 3 minutes until they start giving up their crunch. Your house should smell like Sunday already.

Step 2: Add the Garlic

Toss in minced garlic, stir constantly for 30 seconds until it hits your nose. Stop immediately – brown garlic tastes like regret.

Step 3: Build Your Broth

Pour in all the chicken stock, add salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Taste it now – if it’s bland, add bouillon. If it’s perfect, don’t fix what isn’t broken.

Step 4: Cook Those Noodles Right

Bring everything to a rolling boil, dump in noodles. Cook until al dente only – the second they’re tender with slight resistance, yank the pot off heat. Noodles turn to mush fast in hot liquid.

Step 5: Finish Strong

Stir in shredded chicken, let the heat warm it through. Taste again – this is your last chance to make it sing. Add whatever it needs.

Step 6: Serve Hot

Ladle into bowls while it’s still steaming. Watch people’s faces change on that first spoonful.

You Must Know

The Noodle Rule: Pull that pot off heat the exact moment noodles hit al dente. They keep cooking in hot broth, and overcooked pasta ruins soup faster than anything else. I learned this watching my first batch turn into chicken-flavored oatmeal.

Personal Secret: Save some herb blend to sprinkle on top of each bowl before serving. Fresh herbs on hot soup smell incredible and make people think you’ve been cooking since dawn.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Good stock makes or breaks this soup – spend extra on quality or make your own from that rotisserie chicken carcass. Don’t skip sautéing vegetables; raw carrots in soup taste like sadness. Weak stock needs bouillon help, strong stock doesn’t – taste before adding. Oversalted soup? Drop in a peeled potato for ten minutes, then fish it out. Works every time.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Handful of spinach in the last minute adds color and nutrition. Diced potatoes with the carrots make it heartier. Squeeze of lemon juice brightens everything. Double the red pepper if you like heat. Heavy cream splash makes it richer but changes the whole vibe – your call.

Make-Ahead Options

Cook the broth base three days ahead, store cold, add noodles and chicken when ready to eat. Freezing works but cook noodles separately – frozen pasta gets weird. Meal prep champions make big batches of broth Sunday, add fresh noodles throughout the week. Smart move.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Layer flavors at each step instead of dumping everything together and hoping for magic. Sautéed vegetables taste different than raw vegetables thrown into broth. Season multiple times throughout cooking – salt added early penetrates differently than salt stirred in at the end. Both matter.

Serving Suggestions

Crusty bread handles the broth perfectly. Oyster crackers work if you’re feeling nostalgic. Buttermilk biscuits turn this into a complete meal. Simple green salad cuts through richness if you need vegetables that aren’t cooked soft. Fresh parsley or grated Parmesan on top makes it look restaurant-fancy.

Hope this becomes your go-to sick day ammunition and Sunday comfort food. Nothing beats knowing you can cure most of life’s minor disasters with ingredients already sitting in your kitchen. Sending warm bowls and full hearts from mine to yours!

How to Store Your Chicken Noodle Soup

Refrigerator keeps it good for four days in sealed containers. Freezing works for three months but noodles get mushy – undercook them first or freeze broth separately. Reheat gently on stovetop, stirring occasionally. If noodles absorbed too much liquid, add more stock until consistency looks right.

Allergy Information

Contains gluten from egg noodles. Gluten-free people can use rice noodles or zucchini spirals added last minute. Naturally dairy-free unless you add cream. Lower sodium by using unsalted stock and skipping bouillon.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use chicken thighs instead of rotisserie chicken?

Absolutely. Simmer boneless thighs in the broth for twenty minutes until cooked through, shred them, toss back in.

Why do my leftover noodles turn to mush?

Pasta keeps absorbing liquid even when cold. Store broth and noodles separately or accept that leftovers have different texture.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

Everything except noodles and chicken goes in slow cooker on low for six hours. Add cooked noodles and chicken last thirty minutes.

How do I make this more filling?

Dice potatoes with the carrots or stir in white beans during last few minutes.

What if I’m missing herbs?

Italian seasoning works fine. Salt and pepper alone still makes decent soup. Don’t overthink it.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I love hearing about your soup adventures and any special touches you added to make it your own.