Description
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is an all-time favorite. You can make a quick version with pre-cooked chicken and stock in a box, or make it completely from scratch. I recommend the quick version for busy nights, but take time to make the completely homemade version sometime—it’s worth it!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 medium stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 4 cups chicken stock, from 1 (32-ounce) box low-sodium chicken broth (or homemade chicken stock)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken; from a rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken (about 1/2 pound cooked, boneless chicken)
- 4 ounces egg noodles (short-cut or long-cut; about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more or less as needed depending on your stock
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons each fresh parsley and/or fresh dill, chopped
- Juice of 1/2 large lemon
Instructions
- Prep: Prepare homemade chicken stock or buy a box of stock, and roast the chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken.
- Prep the Vegetables: Dice the onion, peel and slice the carrots, and slice the celery into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Mince or press the garlic.
- Cook the Vegetables: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Simmer the Broth & Shred the Chicken: Add the chicken broth and bay leaf to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. While the broth heats, shred the cooked chicken into large bite-size pieces.
- Cook the Noodles: Add the egg noodles to the pot. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the noodles are al dente, about 6-7 minutes or 1 minute less than the package instructions. Add the shredded chicken the last 3-4 minutes of cooking to gently heat it up in the soup before serving. (Tip: If making this ahead, cook the noodles separately and add them before serving, as noodles cooked in a soup can get soggy after a few days.)
- Finish the Soup: Turn off the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt if needed. Stir in the chopped parsley or dill. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Garnish with an extra sprinkle of dill or parsley to make it pretty.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the quick version, you can use leftover chicken or pulled chicken from a rotisserie chicken with a box of your favorite stock or bone broth from the store. All in this can be as fast as 30 minutes to make.
- For the true homemade from scratch version, you’ll roast bone-in chicken (either parts or a whole chicken), take the meat off the bones, then use the bones, skin, and what’s left after roasting to make the best homemade chicken stock. You’ll want to simmer the stock for at least 4-6 hours, so all in you’re looking at 4-6+ hours, though the hands-on time is minimal.