There is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of a homemade chicken noodle soup from scratch! This easy chicken noodle soup has a flavourful dill infused broth with plenty of of chicken, veggies and egg noodles. It’s seriously the best homemade chicken noodle soup and sure to be a favourite in your home as it is ours!
Hi everyone! How is January treating you so far? Are you completely frozen where you live? The older I get, the less I can tolerate the cold.
Remember that movie The Christmas Story where the mother dresses the youngest kid for school? He has so many layers of clothes on that he can’t even put his arms down. This is me on a cold day #TrueStory
Any time of year, I crave comfort food – soup, pasta, all the carby goodness and it’s particularly true in the winter months.
That’s when this easy chicken noodle soup recipe hits the spot. I’d say it’s like grandma’s chicken soup only better!
This unique chicken noodle soup is finished with some baby spinach for an extra kick of nutrition. And who doesn’t want that in the colder months of winter??
The recipe makes a big pot of soup but, trust me, it will disappear fast!!
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
- Olive oil (to get things goin’)
- Aromatics, like onion and garlic
- Veggies, like carrot, celery and spinach
- Herbs, like bay leaves and dill
- Chicken broth
- Egg noodles
- And, of course, plenty of chicken
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
The key to this quick and easy chicken noodle soup is that the veggies should be chopped not too thick, not too thin….think of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, lol.
This soup comes together rather quickly and if they are too large, it will slow down the cooking process. Celery and carrot should be about 1/4 inch thick, like this—>
The great thing here is that the chicken used is from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
If you want to roast your own chicken instead, go for it! Leftover turkey works wonderfully here too.
Basically, how to make this chicken noodle soup you just—>
- Cook veggies (except spinach) until slightly tender
- Add dill, broth and seasoning
- Add egg noodles and cooked chicken to the party
- Finish with spinach and more dill (if you like)
- Portion up a big bowl and enjoy!
What’s the Best Noodle for Soup?
For a classic chicken noodle soup recipe, I love to use egg noodles. They’re substantial and hold up well when reheating.
If, however, you’d like to use something else, go for it! Ditali (a small pasta) works wonderfully too!
Should I Cook The Egg Noodles Before Adding to the Chicken Soup?
I add uncooked noodles to this chicken soup. They take minutes to cook and there’s lots of liquid in there for them to cook evenly.
Plus, it saves me from using more than one pot, which is never a bad thing if you ask me!
If, however, you want to cook the noodles on their own and then add when serving, that’s a-ok too.
Tip—>Adding uncooked noodles to your homemade chicken noodle soup will cause some of the broth to be absorbed by the noodles.
If you’d rather things more loose (and brothy), consider cooking noodles separately and then adding to the soup.
How Can I Add Flavour to Chicken Soup?
I love using fresh herbs, especially in the summer when we can grow them in our garden. This time of year, though, to the grocery store it is.
Fresh dill really adds a lovely savoury flavour. If you don’t have fresh dill handy, just use one third the amount of dried dill.
Don’t like dill or don’t have on hand? Try any of these –
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Basil
- or some dried herbes de provence (a mixture of herbs)
- Pinch of chili flakes
- Crushed saltine crackers over top
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice or sprinkle of lemon zest just before serving
How Long Does Chicken Noodle Soup Last?
If you’re using freshly prepared chicken, chicken soup will last 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.
It may thicken as it cools because the noodles may absorb some stock. No worries! Just add a little more stock upon reheating to loosen.
Can I Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup?
If making chicken noodle soup ahead of time OR indeed to freeze some, it is suggested you cook the noodles separately and add when you indeed to enjoy.
The base of the chicken noodle soup freezes beautifully, but sometimes pasta can be tricky (and gets mushy when it thaws) so freeze WITHOUT pasta.
Just portion cooled soup into vacuum seal bags, seal and lay flat to freeze. If you don’t’ have a vacuum sealer, portion into freezer safe bags or containers. Whatever you use, label and date the container.
Thaw when ready to enjoy.
What Goes with Chicken Noodle Soup?
Any of these work wonderfully—>
- Crackers crushed over top
- Crusty bread to soak up that delicious dill infused broth
- Extra chopped fresh dill
- Vinegar. Yes, vinegar. I love a dash of vinegar, but that might be a tad odd for some people. I get that love of vinegar from my momma 😉
- Make things extra substantial and serve with your favourite sandwich
- Green salad
More Tips & Variations for This Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch
- If cooking the egg noodles separately, consider adding a little less broth to the pot of soup. When noodles are cooked in the actual soup, they absorb some of the broth, so if cooking separately, you can totally add less.
- Unsalted chicken broth was used here, so if you use anything otherwise, like ‘low sodium’ or ‘regular’ you may want to consider reducing the added salt. If you’d like to make homemade chicken broth, Taste of Home has a delicious scratch made chicken broth recipe!
- Not a fan of spinach, don’t have on hand or rather use something else? You can omit or use kale or Swiss chard. If using those, you will want to cook just a tad longer as they are heartier.
- Try freshly chopped parsley instead of dill, if you prefer.
Like This Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe? You May Enjoy These Too
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup – This creamy chicken and rice soup is made right in the slow cooker and is super comforting on a cold day.
- Creamy Tomato Basil Soup – This comfort food classic comes together in minutes and is delicious with a grilled cheese.
- Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup – Lemony, hearty and simply yummy, this one disappears fast!
This is the best chicken noodle soup if you ask me 😉
Hope you love it as as we do.
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon!
~Dawn
P.S If you think this easy chicken noodle soup will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that little Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO
Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion -roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic -minced
- 3 carrots -peeled & thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch thick), about 2 cups
- 3 stalks celery -thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch thick), about 2 cups
- 1.5 tsp salt -I used kosher
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 fresh (or dried) bay leaves
- 1.5 – 2 Tbsp fresh dill -finely chopped, plus more for garnish (or about 1.5 tsp of dried)
- 10 cups chicken broth -I used unsalted
- 2 cups egg noodles
- 4.5-5 cups cooked chicken (no skin or bones) -about one rotisserie chicken
- 4-5 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium low heat, add olive oil. Cook onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
- To pot, add carrot and celery and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring to combine. Stir in salt, pepper and bay leaves.
- Add dill and broth to pot. Bring to low simmer, cover and cook about 10 minutes or so until carrot and celery not quite tender, but almost.
- Add egg noodles and chicken to pot and cook, covered, for an additional 10 minutes (the last two minutes add spinach and stir to combine). Serve immediately and garnish with extra dill (if desired). Remove and discard bay leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
- If cooking the egg noodles separately, consider adding a little less broth to the pot of soup. When noodles are cooked in the actual soup, they absorb some of the broth, so if cooking separately, you can totally add less.
- Unsalted chicken broth was used here, so if you use anything otherwise, like ‘low sodium’ or ‘regular’ you may want to consider reducing the added salt.
- Not a fan of spinach, don’t have on hand or rather use something else? You can omit or use kale or Swiss chard. If using those, you will want to cook just a tad longer as they are heartier.
- Try freshly chopped parsley instead of dill, if you prefer.
- Have leftover cooked turkey? Use that instead of the chicken.
- See body of post above for more recipe tips.
Nutrition (estimate only)
I really like the idea of adding spinach to this traditional soup. Adding in some extra health benefits is a plus!
Totally! Thank you Holly 🙂
Such a classic recipe and of course an all time favorite in our house! This looks absolutely perfect!
Ours too 🙂 Thank you Lisa!
I never tire of soups and this chicken noodle looks like it calling my name!
I don’t either! Thanks Claudia 🙂
I like the addition of dill in this recipe. Such a great herb, one of my favorites.
Mine too! Thanks Alyssa 🙂
I just love home made soup and wish I could have one pot right now
Thank you Zuzana 🙂 It’s quite tasty!
Chicken noodle soup is the ultimate pick me up and we always make it when someone in our house is sick. This looks lovely.
Sure is 😉 The ultimate comfort food! Thanks Dannii 🙂