Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Is Better Than Anything From a Can (2024)

14 Irresistible Chicken Soup Recipes that Will Leave You Wanting MoreFEATURED IN:

Is there anything more comforting than homemade chicken noodle soup?

It's perfect for cold weather, and especially good if you are fighting off a cold or flu. There are probably as many ways of making chicken noodle soup as there are moms who make it.

The Secret Is in the Stock

The key is homemade stock made from chicken parts or a whole chicken. The rich gelatin from the chicken bones, cartilage, and tendons is good for you, and one of the reasons why homemade chicken stock is so beneficial.

If you don't already have a cache of homemade chicken stock, the following is a recipe for making the entire soup from scratch, starting with a whole chicken, parted out.

Already have chicken stock? This recipe includes instructions for a 30 minute shortcut version as well.

This recipe makes an especially clean tasting soup with a rich, clear broth, and plenty of noodles.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Is Better Than Anything From a Can (1)

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch

If you have a couple hours, making chicken noodle soup entirely from scratch is the way to go. All you need is a whole chicken (cut into parts), water, celery, onions, and carrots, seasonings, and egg noodles.

The recipe is basically two parts:

First you make the stock.
Then you strain out the bones and make the soup.

First, Make the Stock

Some recipes will have you cook the chicken you will use as meat in your soup for the entire time you are cooking the bones for stock. This will produce dry, over-cooked pieces of chicken.

To avoid dried out chicken in our soup, in our recipe we remove the breast and thigh meat from the bones that we plan on using in the finished soup. We first make the stock and later add the raw chicken meat to cook near the end of the soup-making process. You could also cook the breast and thigh chicken pieces whole, in the broth, and remove them after 15 minutes of cooking or so, cool them and shred them to be added at service.

To make the stock, we first parboil the stock meat and bones, at high rolling boil, for 3 minutes, then discard the boiling water. This hard boil forces the scum to the surface all in one go. This is a classic stock making technique that helps produce a clear, clean-tasting broth. (You will still get all of the nutritional value from the chicken during the long simmering step that follows.)

We then return those parboiled meat and bones to the pot, add some celery, carrots, onions, garlic, and herbs, cover with water, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours to make the stock.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Is Better Than Anything From a Can (2)

Second, Make the Soup

When the stock is ready, we strain out the solids, and add fresh veggies to the stock. Any vegetables you used in making the stock will have had all of their nutritional value simmered out of them after an hour, which is why we are adding fresh vegetables.

Once the soup and vegetables are simmering, we chop up the raw chicken breast and thigh meat we had removed from the bone in the first step and return it to the soup. Next we add in the dry noodles, and the soup is done when the noodles and chicken pieces are cooked!

The Quick Version: 30-Minute Chicken Soup

If you already have homemade chicken stock (traditional, slow cooker, or Instant Pot), you can make this chicken noodle soup in 30 minutes or less; just start at step six.

Add chopped carrots and celery to the stock and bring to a simmer. Then add chopped chicken breast or thighs and bring to a simmer again. Then add dry noodles. When the noodles are done, add seasonings like parsley, salt, pepper, and thyme, and you're done!

How To Store and Freeze Chicken Soup

Refrigerate the finished soup for up to 5 days and reheat gently over low heat. Note that the egg noodles will expand quite a bit in the soup. If you don't like this, cook the noodles separately and add them to each bowl.

The soup will also freeze well for up to 3 months. We advise waiting to add the noodles to the soup until serving.

How to Freeze Soup, Beans, and BrothREAD MORE:

More Ways to Make Chicken Soup

Instant Pot Chicken Soup
One-Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
Quick Chicken Pho
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Soup with Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Servings12 servings

Yield3 quarts

Prep the vegetables for the stock up front, then prep the vegetables for the soup while the stock is simmering to save overall start-to-finish time.

While this recipe shows the steps for entirely homemade chicken soup, you could also easily make this chicken noodle soup starting with already prepared stock and some raw chicken. Use about 2 quarts of chicken stock, and 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts and 2 chicken thighs and proceed to step 6. Making soup this way will take about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

For the stock:

One 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into parts—breast, thighs, backs, wings, and neck (if available)
2 carrots, scrubbed clean, unpeeled, and cut into 2 inch chunks
2 celery ribs, cut into 2 inch pieces (include celery tops)
1 onion, quartered (peel on is okay)
3 cloves garlic, cut in half (peal on is ok)
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1/2 bunch parsley
5 whole peppercorns

For the soup:

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 celery ribs cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
4 to 8 ounces egg noodles (depending on how noodle-y you want your soup)
See Also
How to Make Tender Shredded Chicken
Fresh chopped parsley, to finish
Freshly ground black pepper, to finish
Fresh thyme, to finish

Method

Separate the meat from bones:
Remove the raw breast meat from the breast bones, and the thigh meat from the thigh bone, place in a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator until needed towards the end of preparing the soup.
Remove and discard the largest pieces of breast and thigh skin. Cut away and discard excess fat from chicken pieces.
Parboil bones for 3 minutes:
Place breast and thigh bones, the back, legs, neck, and wings in a large (8 quart) pot. Cover with water. Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, remove from heat, drain off the water, rinse the bones and the pot.
Make the stock:
Return the now parboiled bones to the clean pot. Add the carrots and celery ribs, and some celery tops if you have them, to the pot with the chicken. (Fennel tops or leek greens can be added too, if you have them.)
Add the quartered onion, garlic cloves, thyme, one-half of the parsley, and the peppercorns to the pot.
Cover with an inch or two of water (about 3 quarts). Bring to a low simmer (about 185°F) and let simmer (the stock should be just barely bubbling), partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours.
Strain the bones and solids from the stock:
At the end of 1 1/2 hours strain out the bones and vegetables, reserving the stock. Rinse out the pot and return the stock to the pot.
Simple Tip!

If you want, set aside and strip the bones of any remaining meat. After parboiling and 1 1/2 hours of cooking the meat will be rather dry and tasteless, though you could use it in a chicken salad.
Salt the stock:
Taste the stock. It should be rather bland because up to now, no salt has been added. Add salt to taste. As a guideline, for each quart of stock, add 2 teaspoons of salt.
Add the sliced carrots and celery to the stock, bring to a simmer:
Add the reserved raw chicken to the stock:
Cut the chicken breast and thigh meat into bite-sized pieces. Add to the pot with the carrots, celery, and stock. Return to a low simmer.
Add the noodles:
Add the egg noodles and return to a simmer. Simmer for until the egg noodles are just barely cooked through, al dente (about 5 minutes or so, depending on your package of noodles), and the chicken is just cooked through.
Note that the noodles will expand substantially in the soup broth as they cook.
Finish and serve:
Stir in a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Add freshly ground black pepper, more thyme, and more salt to taste.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
361	Calories
19g	Fat
9g	Carbs
38g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	361
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g	24%
Saturated Fat 5g	26%
Cholesterol 122mg	41%
Sodium 141mg	6%
Total Carbohydrate 9g	3%
Dietary Fiber 2g	6%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 38g
Vitamin C 6mg	32%
Calcium 46mg	4%
Iron 2mg	13%
Potassium 445mg	9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Is Better Than Anything From a Can (2024)

FAQs

Why is homemade soup better than canned soup? ›

On the other hand, preparing homemade soups allows for complete control over ingredients. This makes homemade soup a healthier option, ensuring your soup consumption aligns with your nutritional goals and dietary preferences.

View Details ›

Why does homemade chicken noodle soup make you feel better? ›

“Chicken is also high in tryptophan, which helps your body produce serotonin that can enhance your mood and give you the feeling of 'comfort' that helps make chicken noodle soup a true comfort food,” Allonen says.

Keep Reading ›

Is chicken noodle soup healthy from a can? ›

Store-bought chicken noodle soup isn't always the healthiest options, which is why some experts recommend making a homemade version so you can control overall nutrition content.

Why do doctors recommend chicken noodle soup? ›

Compared with hot water alone, studies show chicken soup is more effective at loosening mucus. The herbs and spices sometimes used in chicken soup, such as pepper and garlic, also loosen mucus. The broth, which contains water and electrolytes, helps with rehydration.

Learn More ›

What is the 7 day chicken noodle soup diet? ›

The chicken soup diet is a 7-day weight loss diet that involves eating chicken soup for every meal except breakfast. For your morning meal, you can pick from five low calorie options, which include foods like nonfat milk and yogurt, fat-free cheese, whole-grain cereal or bread, and fresh fruit.

Explore More ›

Is homemade soup healthier than canned? ›

A warm bowl of soup can hit the spot on a cold day. It can also be a healthy way to start off a meal because it tends to be high in vegetables, filling and low in energy density. Homemade soup is a better choice than canned soup, however, because canned soup often contains the chemical BPA and is high in sodium.

Find Out More ›

Why do I feel better after eating chicken noodle soup? ›

According to the study, undertaken by Nebraska Medical Center, chicken soup achieves these results by inhibiting something known as neutrophil chemotaxis. Basically, white blood cells behave differently after chicken soup, resulting in added anti-inflammatory activity.

Read On ›

Is Campbell's chicken noodle soup healthy? ›

Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup

Campbell's condensed chicken noodle soup is a classic and one of the most popular canned soups. But Frost, Gonzalez and Tills all said it's the least-healthy choice because it's so high in sodium: 890 mg per serving, or 39% of your daily value.