A homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe made from scratch using a whole chicken. With a beautifully flavoured golden chicken broth, this is a classic everyoneΒ should know!
Made the old fashioned way by boiling a whole chicken, you can toss in any vegetables, noodles or pasta and itβs going to be amazing. And everybody knowns Chicken Soup is theΒ best soup for a cold!
Homemade ChickenΒ Noodle Soup β 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.Β This is a Chicken Noodle Soup made the old fashioned way!
Regular readers know that βcoolβ is certainly not my middle name. Iβm not one for following food trends. I just like good food done right. Iβll give foam and cauliflower crust pizza a miss thanks! π
The BEST soup for a cold??
βEveryoneβ knows that when youβre struck down with Man Flu*, the only thing that will nurse you back to health isΒ Chicken soupβ¦.
While itβs questionable whether itβs beenΒ conclusively scientifically proven that Chicken soup is even better than medicine, hereβs 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, itβs light so itβs easy to stomach, doesnβt require much effort to chew or (heaven forbid!) the effort of a knife and fork. And even when youβre sick, you can still appreciate the tastiness of a beautiful Chicken Noodle soup!
* Man Flu official definition according to Dictionary.com: βa case of the common cold as suffered by a man, implying that he is exaggerating the debilitatingΒ effects of the illnessβ Just sayingββ¦..
How to make this good old fashioned chicken noodle soup
Yes thereβs more steps than quick and easy chicken noodle soup recipes, but it is so worth it because this broth is something money canβt buy!
Simmer (donβt 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 scumΒ that floats to the surfaceΒ once or twice;
Remove the chickenΒ and the carrot etc;
Shred the chicken. Youβll need just under half for this recipe, save the rest for other uses;
Make it even healthier β 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 β 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.Β Short twisted egg noodles and pasta shapes are ideal β 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 β yet full of flavour! Thereβs 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). Youβll find that the bottom of the broth becomes darker as βstuffβ 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;
DonβtΒ brown theΒ sautΓ©ed onion,Β carrots and celery. Brown veggies = brown broth!
Donβt 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 wonβt even use half the meat on the chicken for this Chicken Noodle Soup. So hereβs a few ideas for things to make with the leftover cooked chicken:
White Chicken EnchiladasΒ orΒ QuesadillasΒ (just pan fry shredded chicken briefly with Quesadilla seasoning)
ChineseΒ Fried RiceΒ or try THAI Fried Rice!
Make aΒ Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup!
I kept the veggies in the soup fairly classic, using just onion, carrots and celery. But donβt let my lack of imagination deter you β add whatever you want! β Nagi xx
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup β fromΒ 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 β 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/ 1/2β³ 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 β 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).Β
- Cover with lid, bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Then adjust heat so itβs 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, donβt 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.Β
- 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 β 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.Β 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 β I used fettuccine in the photos/video. 4. Vegeta β Vegeta is a brand of vegetable stock powder, labelled βGourmet Seasoningβ and βAll Purpose Seasoningβ 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! Itβs my favourite stock powder to use in soup broths because of the flavour, colour, clarity and that you get little βbitsβ in the soup.Β Itβs 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)Β β use chicken or vegetable.Β 5. Cooked carrots & celery β 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 β extra veg! 6. Stirring lotsΒ = 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 β 4 days in the fridge. Broth will freeze for months. Things to make with Leftover Chicken: Youβll 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.
Hi Nagi! Have you ever used the Egg Raft remedy to make your stock clear? It really works!!!
This is absolutely the best! My kids are grown so any chance I get to mommy them up is a win. This soup ensures Iβm the first to know if someoneβs not feeling well! Itβs crazy good as-is but I add a knob of garlic when making the broth. I also saute mushrooms in butter until they are golden brown to add to the soup. Vegeta is magical! Just a little in almost anything brings that extra yum. I have a problem with anything mushy so I cook egg noodles until almost done and toss with the parsley and a little olive oil to put in the bottom of the bowl before ladling on the chickeny goodness! Served with thick cut crunchy garlic breadβ¦ perfection!! Nagiβ¦thank you for taking the time to bring so much deliciousness to our tables!
This recipe is amazing! Nothing magical, but it just works. This is our go-to chicken soup recipe now, and with food prices shooting up whole chickens are still a bargain. I make it with a larger bird (7-8 lbs) and then freeze in quarts to pop out when needed.
Made the Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch per recipe. After the broth was made, did leave out the optional bayleaf when making final product. Was excellent and went well with some artisan sour dough. Will make again. Thanks for the recipe!
yummy! Just made this soup recipe today and it exceeded my expectations and turned out super delicious. Never had too much luck in the past making βscratchβ chicken noodle soups. This recipe changed all that. Made it exactly as written except at the end to customize the broth with more chicken flavour, I added two pots of Knorr chicken stock bouillons. Perfection! My husband absolutely loved the extra broad Lancia egg noodles and broth. Many thanx again for this recipe β it truly works magnificently.
THANK YOU FROM WASHINGTON DC! I found your recipe through an online search. Just had a bowl of this fantastic chicken soup! All natural and all good! I grew all the spices and some of the vegetables. This recipe is a keeper and will be made over and over again!
Would I be able to leave out the Vegeta? & just use salt? My fiancΓ© canβt do a lot of sodium & your recipe is the best one Iβve found that doesnβt have chicken Bouillon or anything. But didnβt realize you have Vegeta in it. Could I just substitute with some salt?
Well, this is blooming delightful! Iβve never been a big fan of chicken but after cooking a whole chicken and making chicken bone broth with the carcass, I decided to search a chicken recipe from the website. This soup is so good!
Loved this and so did my family!
Hi Nagi,
Could I make up the broth the day before, then make the soup the next day?
Yes for sure Jess! That makes it very easy to assemble! N x
Ok great thank you π
Oh Nagi, how I love thee! Iβve been cooking this soup for over a year now (your recipe only) and I swear you have changed my kidβs perception on all things βsoupβ. They bloody love it and is so good for them in these horrible winter Melbourne months. Thank you for everything you do for us! π₯°
Iβve finally made this delicious chicken and vegetable soup from scratch and what a winner! I shared this with my friends and family and I received many compliments. Even my chef husband of 20 years said itβs the best one heβs ever tasted!π
Nagi thank you so much for your amazingly delicious recipes and very easy to follow instructions. You are my βgo toβ website for my recipes. And absolutely β€οΈ The Dozer updates β¦ just beautiful π
Iβve made this a couple of times. Once using roast carcass & with wings with chicken pieces. Itβs truly amazing especially with flu season now upon us. I heat the broth & use 2 minute noodles to make single portions. Mmmm mmmm. Thank you
I have made this soup twice now and it is the best chicken noodle soup ever. Definitely worth the extra time to make the broth. Thanks Nagi, your recipes and instructions are brilliant. Canβt wait for your cookbook
Thatβs great Dawn!! I am glad that you like it so much!! N x
When I cook the broth I chop off the root of the celery and use that.
Thanks for that tip Clare!! N x
Worth the extra time to make π€πΌ
My go to chicken soup recipe. Forget the rest cos this is the best. Making a batch up right now in the slow cooker to freeze for quick lunches.
Itβs great for a warming lunch!! N x
Truly superb chicken soup.
I used filtered water and threw in a parsnip but otherwise stuck to the recipe. The broth is fantastic alone but you can also blend the cooked veggies into it for more substance. Itβs pure comfort.
I made this last night and it was awesome. I did add different spices according to what me and my husband like. It hit the spot and I have enough left over to eat on tonight or freeze if I choose. Thanks so much!
Hello! I cannot wait to make yet another yummy dish! I was wondering if i could do this in a slow cooker and not add the water?