Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
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I’ve been making this hearty homemade chicken noodle soup recipe for well over thirty years—it’s definitely a keeper. It features wide egg noodles, shredded chicken, rich stock, and wholesome vegetables. This is the real chicken soup for the soul!
There’s no doubt that homemade chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food. It’s hearty, filling, and just the thing for cold days or if you’re feeling under the weather. Slow-cooked on a Sunday afternoon, the rich scent of chicken soup bubbling on the stove brings us right back to our childhood. It’s those memories as much as the meal itself that make this dish truly comforting.
When I make chicken noodle soup, I go all out and make it just the way my mom used to when I was little. That means homemade chicken stock, fresh vegetables, and handmade thick-cut egg noodles. If I’m feeling fancy, I might add some herbs, but it’s completely optional.
This recipe is pretty simple to make, and you’ll have enough to feed six adults or an army of children! It keeps in the refrigerator for several days and tastes even better once the noodles have a chance to sit and absorb the flavors. You can even make a large batch, freeze it, and reheat it on those days you don’t feel like cooking.
Making This Recipe from Scratch
There are a couple of ways to make this recipe, and though I highly recommend making it from scratch, there are some shortcuts. Making this chicken noodle soup recipe with a whole chicken and homemade noodles is what makes it special, though.
The noodles are sooo good, and because they’re so big, they set this dish somewhere between chicken noodle soup and chicken and dumplings. They are memorable, though, and one of those foods that I’ll never forget loving as a kid. That’s why I continue to make it to this day.
When you make it from scratch, you begin with a whole chicken. Using just that and water, you’ll get all the stock and tender meat you need for the recipe. It takes about an hour for a medium chicken to cook through, so that added time must be considered. The cooked chicken will also need time to cool, and you’ll need to strip the meat from the carcass, too. It’s all worth it, though, if you want the soup to taste its absolute best.
Making it from scratch is also more economical, since the cost of a chicken is lower than buying pre-made ingredients. Even if you begin with the highest-quality organic, free-range chicken, it will probably cost less than buying stock and meat separately. Plus, the skin, bones, thighs, and dark meat add so much flavor to the stock.
To get even more meals from a whole chicken, you could roast it and serve the meat from it for a different meal first. Then, pick off what’s left of the meat and boil the carcass to make chicken stock for this recipe. It may have less chicken meat, but it will make use of all the flavor and nutrients left in the chicken. Waste not, want not.
Homemade Egg Noodles
Homemade noodles are the best choice for this recipe for a couple of reasons. Freshly made, they cook to tenderness but remain firm and oh-so-filling. They only take about ten minutes to make and cut, and aren’t difficult at all. You don’t need a fancy pasta maker, either. Just a few ingredients, a rolling pin, and something to cut them into ribbons.
They also soak up tons of flavor and still hold their shape. This is true the day you make them, but even more so if you have this soup as leftovers. Honestly, there are tons of chicken noodle soup recipes out there, but the homemade noodles in this one are what make it a star. You can make substitutions if you wish, but it will not be anywhere close to the original unless you make noodles from scratch.
Chicken Noodle Soup Shortcuts
You don’t have to make this recipe entirely from scratch, though. If you’re pressed for time or want to put together an easy meal, there are shortcuts you can take. The first is to buy chicken stock rather than making it from scratch. Chicken stock is a liquid made by simmering chicken meat, bones, and skin in water, and it’s rich in flavor and collagen. It’s different from chicken broth, which is made by cooking chicken meat in water. Broth has less fat but also less flavor and nutrients.
If you buy chicken stock to make this recipe, you’ll also need to buy chicken meat. The easiest way is to use pre-cooked, sliced chicken breast, which you add at the end of cooking. Alternatively, you could buy a rotisserie chicken or uncooked chicken meat. With fresh meat, you cut it up and add it to the soup when you add the noodles. Adding chicken too early in the recipe can cause it to overcook and become rubbery.
The last shortcuts are to buy the vegetables pre-cut and chopped, and the noodles. For the noodles, the best option is a bag of fresh egg noodles. Yes, dried pasta works, and if you’re pinched on time, money, or choice, feel free to use whatever pasta type you would like. However, this recipe is really best with egg noodles, since they add more flavor and nutrients to homemade chicken noodle soup.
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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Equipment
- stock pot (with lid)
Ingredients
Homemade Chicken Stock
- 1 whole chicken (medium)
- 3.5 quarts water (3.5 liters)
Homemade Egg Noodles
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 cups plain flour (multipurpose flour)
- 1 tsp salt (table salt or fine sea salt)
- flour for dusting
For the Soup
- 2.5 quarts chicken stock (2.5 liters)
- 18 oz fresh egg noodles (500 g / or 8.8 oz (250 g) dried pasta)
- 3 cups shredded chicken (You can use less or more, if you wish)
- 1 cup chopped onion (1 large onion)
- 3 cups peeled and chopped carrots (3 large carrots)
- 1 cup sliced celery (2 large celery sticks)
- 2 chicken stock cubes (bouillon cubes)
- 1 tsp peppercorns (or 1/2 tsp ground black pepper / optional)
- 1 TBSP olive oil (light colored or pomace)
Instructions
Prepping the Stock and Chicken (recommended)
- You can make this recipe using either ready-made chicken stock (or broth) and cooked chicken, or make it yourself. Purchasing it makes the recipe quicker, but making it from scratch will make your soup taste far superior.
- Start by cooking a whole chicken in 3.5 quarts of water for an hour*. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a rapid simmer. Allow it to cook uncovered until the meat is fully cooked and falling off the bone.
- Remove the chicken from the liquid to cool. If you place it in a colander set over a bowl, you can catch the liquid to add back later on. Leave it there until it's cool, then take the meat off and shred it, discarding the skin and bones.
- Strain the remaining liquid from the pot through a sieve and measure it. You need 2.5 quarts to make homemade chicken noodle soup. Just by cooking a whole chicken in water, you get rich, wholesome chicken stock.
Make the Egg Noodles (recommended)
- Though you can use ready-made egg noodles, this recipe is far better with homemade. To make them, whisk the eggs, water, and salt together, then mix in the flour. This will create a firm but slightly sticky pasta dough.
- Dust a kitchen worktop with more of the flour and turn the dough out on top. Generously dust the top of it with more flour and begin rolling it out into a circle about 1/8" (3 mm) thick.
- Make sure the underside is well-coated with flour, then use a knife or a pizza cutter to cut it into strips about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. You can leave them long or cut them into shorter strips if you wish. When you're finished cutting, leave the noodles in place on the worktop. Continue with the next step.
Make the Chicken Noodle Soup
- Prepare and chop the veggies. The onion is diced while the celery is sliced about 1/4" (3 mm) thick, and the carrots are chopped into 1/2" chunks.
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot on medium, then saute the onions until translucent.
- Add the carrots, celery, stock cubes, peppercorns, and liquid stock to the pot. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a rapid simmer. Allow the vegetables to cook until the carrots are about 80% cooked through—this may take about ten minutes.
- Add the egg noodles to the soup. If you're using fresh homemade noodles, add them one by one. Allow each one to be covered by soup before adding the next. Adding more than one at a time can cause the noodles to stick together.
- Loosely cover the pot and cook on a rapid simmer until the noodles are cooked through. Stir regularly and make sure that the pot doesn't boil over. They may take 15-20 minutes, and you'll notice the noodles float to the top as they cook.
- When the noodles are cooked through, add the chicken and stir it into the soup to warm it through. The noodles should be al dente, and it's best to take one out, cut it open, and taste it.
- Serve the noodles in bowls using tongs and use a ladle to dish out broth, meat, and vegetables. It's best to serve this meal with a fork, knife, and spoon to help cut the noodles, if needed. Enjoy!
This is a great recipe very similar to what my Grandma made me. Homemade noodles are a must for me as they are quick and easy and there is no comparison to homemade versus store bought; but glad we have store bought for those occasions when time is of the essence!
Thank you for sharing!
Kind Regards, Charlotte :-)
You’re so right, Charlotte. Homemade noodles always taste better but sometimes you just need to whip a good, wholesome meal together. Taking one or more shortcuts helps make homemade chicken noodle soup so easy :)