Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

As the weather begins to turn cooler, we begin to crave hot and steamy soups, including one of our all time favorites, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.

Every year we make a plethora of soups from fresh produce from the garden. Whether it is classic vegetable soup, chili, potato soup, vegetable beef, or butternut squash soup, it seems that we always have one ready to warm us up.

We love to make large batches of soup on the stove or when we have extra time and the weather cooperates, in a cast iron kettle over the firepit.

We will then freeze the extra soup in rectangular ‘blocks’ for easy storage in our deep freezer. Whenever we need a quick meal or a soup to warm our bones in the middle of winter, we will heat it on the stove and it will be ready to eat in minutes.

However, homemade chicken noodle soup is a little different. Cooked egg noodles don’t freeze well.

Instead, we will make a large batch of the broth along with veggies and the seasonings and freeze it without the noodles. When it is time to eat we will heat the soup up and boil until the noodles are fully cooked.

A True Comfort Food Recipe

There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of old fashioned, homemade chicken noodle soup. Especially when you are not feeling well.

Chicken broth alone has so many health benefits. It’s the first thing that people are given when they are feeling under the weather or before and/or after surgery.

Add in a few veggies and noodles and you have a complete and hearty meal that the entire family will love!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• Bone-in chicken thighs
• Ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Carrots
• Celery
• Garlic cloves
• Chicken broth
• Bay leaves
• Ground thyme
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Egg noodles
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

To start making your homemade chicken noodle soup pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Then season them generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large stockpot add the oil on medium-high heat. Place the chicken, skin side down, working in batches if needed and cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin is a dark golden color. 

Flip the chicken over and brown for another 3-4 minutes. Then remove the chicken from pan and set aside.

Add the diced onion, celery, carrots to the hot pan with the chicken drippings and cook over medium-high heat until tender. This will take approximately 4-5 minutes.

Then add the minced garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant.

Next, add the broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Bring the mixture to a boil and then place chicken back into the pot.

Add the thyme, red pepper flakes and bay leaves. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.

Using a large slotted spoon, remove the chicken pieces to a large bowl and set aside. Then increase the heat and add the egg noodles to the pot and let simmer for the time stated on the package.

When the cooked chicken thighs are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Using two forks remove the meat from bones and shred or cut the meat into bite-size pieces.

Then return the chicken to the pot with the remaining homemade noodle soup.

Save The Bones

Be sure to save the bones if you want to make homemade stock later. Once cool, you can place them in a resealable freezer bag until you have enough ingredients to make your stock.

Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper as desired. Then remove the bay leaves and serve warm.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I make this recipe gluten free?

It is easy to make this recipe gluten free. Simply replace the egg noodles with gluten free noodles such as brown rice pasta, chickpea pasta or soba pasta.

Although it may be difficult to find gluten free noodles in the shape of egg noodles. But don’t worry, you can make homemade chicken noodle soup with any type of pasta that you prefer.

2. Can I make this soup low-carb?

If you want to make this soup lower in carbohydrates, simply omit the noodles all together. Although, if you are really wanting to add noodles to the soup you can use a low-carb noodle like Shirataki Noodles.

However, be sure to follow the instructions on the package to adjust for the appropriate cooking time.

3. How do I store Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup?

Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Although the noodles will be softer than when you originally served the soup, it is still delicious.

When you go to reheat the soup, add water to the leftovers because the noodles will have absorbed a significant amount of the broth.

5. Can I freeze leftovers?

Unfortunately, as stated earlier, the leftovers should not be frozen. Cooked noodles don’t hold up well when frozen. However, you can store the leftovers in the refrigerator and eat the remaining soup over the next few days.

And with most soup recipes, it only becomes more flavorful on day 2 or 3.

4. Can I make this soup ahead of time?

If you want to make this soup ahead of time, follow all the instructions, but do not add the noodles to the broth. Then store the soup in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Then heat the soup to a boil, add the noodles and cook until they are nice and tender.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

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