This chicken noodle soup recipe is made with tender shredded chicken, savory broth, and a medley of veggies, herbs, and seasonings. Enjoy this easy chicken noodle soup on winter days, when you have a cold, or when you want something that will satisfy your tastebuds and soothe your body and soul.
Ready to cozy up with a bowl of something hot and hearty? Check out more delicious chicken soup recipes like this Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup, Low-Carb Chicken Pot Pie Soup, and Chicken Lime Avocado Soup.
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Nothing is more comforting than hot soup when you are feeling less than your best. The best chicken noodle soup recipe begins by sauteeing veggies for a delicious foundation of flavor.
I use chicken broth but also add bouillon cubes for an extra punch of chicken flavor. Throw in pasta and precooked chicken and you have an easy, satisfying meal for the whole family to enjoy.
Why We Love This Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe:
Better Than Storebought! Skip the canned soup at the grocery store and make homemade chicken noodle soup. When you make it yourself, you skip additives and can adjust the sodium to your liking.
Ultimate Comfort Food! Served hot, this wonderful recipe is the perfect fix for cold weather. Thick noodles make it hearty, and the rich broth makes it feel extra indulgent.
A Healthy Soup! This is the best soup for a cold. This healing chicken noodle soup is packed with good-for-you ingredients like fresh ginger, garlic, and plenty of nutritious veggies that help boost the immune system.
Ingredients you need:
- Rotisserie chicken: Cooked and shredded to save some cooking time.
- Vegetables: I use carrots, celery, onion, and cabbage.
- Aromatics: Use fresh ginger (sub 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder) and garlic cloves.
- Olive oil: Use this to saute the veggies.
- Chicken Broth or vegetable broth: This is the liquid base of this delicious recipe. Use a low-sodium broth if necessary.
- Pasta: The pasta cooks directly in the broth so that starch will thicken the liquid, creating a luscious broth. Try elbow macaroni, rotini, or egg noodles.
- Seasoning: For deep, savory flavor, use chicken bouillon (or two bouillon cubes), seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and turmeric (optional).
- Herbs: Add dried sage and bay leaves to enhance the overall flavor.
Optional Ingredients
- Water: Add as needed to make more soup base because the cooked pasta will thicken it.
- Evaporated milk: This ingredient may seem random but sopas, a Filipino chicken noodle soup, uses milk to enrich the broth. For a creamy chicken noodle soup recipe, add ½ cup of evaporated milk. For thicker broth, use heavy cream instead.
- Seasoning: Add more salt and pepper to taste.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup:
Shred Chicken and Prepare Veggies
Remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken and add it to a bowl. Discard the skin and bones.
Chop carrots, celery, onions, and cabbage and set them aside in a separate bowl. Then mince your ginger and garlic, and set it aside.
Sauté Veggies
Heat up a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Drizzle your olive oil into the large pot and heat it up for about one minute.
Now gently pour your vegetables into the pot and sauté them for 3-5 minutes, until they begin to soften a bit. Be sure to frequently stir them around so they do not burn.
Add your ginger and garlic into the pot with the veggies, and stir it around for about one minute, just enough for it to become fragrant and combine with the veggies.
Add Chicken Broth and Seasonings
Gently pour the chicken broth into the pot with the veggies, and mix everything together. Once the veggies are combined, add the shredded chicken to the pot.
Then pour your pasta into the soup. Add all of the seasonings including the: chicken bouillon, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sage, bay leaves, and turmeric.
Simmer & Serve
Stir in the seasonings until they are fully combined. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes, 15 minutes max so that the pasta can get tender.
Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve with your favorite bread or crackers. Finally, enjoy your classic chicken noodle soup!
Healing properties of chicken soup
The vegetables used in the chicken sopa include celery, onions, carrots. These are vegetables that are high in minerals and antioxidants. They are also a great source of vitamins C and K.
Chicken also releases an amino acid called cysteine as it cooks in the soup. Cysteine helps break down and thin mucus in the lungs; which helps combat a cough and congestions. The broth is also a great way to get nutrients and stay hydrated.
These things have great healing powers to help build-up the immune system to help fight off viruses, and recover from illnesses faster.
This information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider regarding a medical condition.
Alternatives and Variations:
- Chicken: You can use boneless chicken thighs or skinless chicken breasts instead of rotisserie chicken. Chicken breasts are great if you prefer leaner meat and want to save a few calories. But juicy dark meat has more flavor.
- Use Leftovers: leftover chicken or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving are amazing for this chicken sopa.
- Noodles: A chicken noodle soup recipe with egg noodles is a classic choice but you can use whatever pasta you prefer. Pappardelle, fettuccine, orzo, and rice noodles are all great substitutes.
- Fresh Herbs: Add fresh oregano, dill, or fresh parsley.
- Broth: Swap chicken broth for chicken stock or bone broth, for added nutrients.
Pro-Tips for the Best Chicken Soup:
- Pasta continues to absorb liquid, even after it is cooked. Avoid mushy noodles by not adding them to the broth too soon. Once they are added, the soup shouldn't simmer for more than 15 minutes.
- Serving this chicken noodle soup recipe at a large gathering? Keep it warm in a slow cooker or crockpot. Just replenish with some reserved broth if it starts to dry out.
- Serve the soup with lemon wedges so fresh lemon juice can be added to individual servings for a pop of fresh citrus flavor. This brightens the overall taste.
Storing and Reheating:
Allow leftover chicken soup to cool down to room temperature. Then add it to an airtight container and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stove over medium-high heat.
For longer storage, freeze leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. If you plan to make this chicken noodle soup recipe ahead, I suggest undercooking the pasta (al dente) so it is not mushy when you heat it up.
FAQ:
What adds richness to chicken soup?
Adding ingredients like vegetables, herbs, and spices enriches soup. But additions like white wine, milk, or cheese add even more richness to the broth.
What are the best noodles to use for chicken noodle soup?
Egg noodles are the best noodles for chicken noodle soup. They are wide, thick, and hearty so they easily hold the broth and added ingredients. Egg noodles have a tender texture and a subtle richness from the eggs.
How to make chicken noodle soup without overcooking noodles?
Some recipes cook the noodles separately in order to avoid overcooking. But I love the flavor and texture egg noodles add to the broth as it simmers. So add the noodles within the last 15 minutes of cooking so they do not get mushy.
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole Rotissiere chicken cooked and shredded
- 3 whole Carrots peeled and cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 stalks Celery cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 whole Onion chopped
- ½ head Cabbage chopped
- ½ tablespoon Ginger grated (sub 1 teaspoon ground ginger powder)
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 6 cups Chicken Broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cups Pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, egg noodles)
- 1 tablespoon Chicken bouillon (or two bouillon cubes)
- ½ tablespoon Seasoned Salt
- 2 teaspoons Black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Sage
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric optional but recommended
Instructions
- Remove the meat off of the rotisserie chicken and add it to a bowl. Discard the skin and bones.
- Chop your carrots, celery, onions, and cabbage and set them aside in a separate bowl. Now mince your ginger and garlic, set it aside.
- Heat up a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Drizzle your olive oil into the pot and heat it up for about one minute.
- Now gently pour your vegetables into the pot and sauté them for 3-5 minutes, until they begin to soften a bit. Be sure to frequently stir them around so they do not burn.
- Add your ginger and garlic into the pot with the veggies, and stir it around for about one minute, just enough for it to become fragrant and combine with the veggies.
- Gently pour the chicken broth into the pot with the veggies, and stir everything together well. Once the veggies are combined, add your shredded chicken into the pot.
- Next, pour your pasta into the soup. Then sprinkle in all of your seasonings including the: chicken bouillon, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sage, bay leaves, and turmeric.
- Stir in the seasonings until they are fully combined. Cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes so that the pasta can get tender.
- Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve with your favorite bread or crackers, and ENJOY!
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