It’s the ultimate comfort food…chicken noodle soup! Get ready to make the best homemade chicken noodle soup recipe you’ve ever tasted, with flavorful broth, juicy rotisserie chicken, and al dente noodles.
If there’s just one food that brings the blood-pressure down, it’s absolutely this chicken noodle soup. Store-bought chicken noodle soup is good in a pinch, but there’s nothing better than homemade chicken noodle soup made with moist, tender rotisserie chicken. There’s a special secret ingredient in this recipe too that makes all the difference! Parmesan cheese rinds add so much flavor. They yield the BEST soup. You’ll never want chicken noodle soup any other way again!
Or substitute noodles with rice, and make Chicken and Rice Soup instead!
Why This Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Is the Best
- Easy. We’re taking a step out by using rotisserie chickens!
- BEST flavor around. The flavor of the broth and chicken is unbeatable.
- A make ahead dream. Yes, I said it. Homemade chicken noodle soup for days!
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
Full instructions in the recipe card; this is just an outline!
- Carve.
Carve cooled rotisserie chickens, remove skin, and pull meat into chunks. Set aside.
- Sauté
In a stock pot, heat olive oil and add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sweat for 4-5 minutes.
- Add.
Add chicken chunks and stock. Stir.
- Add more.
Stir in bay leaves, cheese rinds, and oregano.
- Simmer.
Cover pot, bring to a simmer on high heat (10-15 mins), then reduce to low and cover for 15 more mins.
- Final add.
Stir in dried noodles, parsley, and black pepper. Simmer covered for 10-12 mins, stirring halfway.
- Serve.
Remove bay leaves and cheese rinds. Serve as-is or with parmesan cheese on top.
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
- Rotisserie chickens – rotisserie chicken can be found right in the grocery, precooked! They save time and taste delicious.
- Wide egg noodles – egg noodles are classic in chicken noodle soup.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – I like low-sodium chicken broth as the base of my chicken noodle soup. You can use regular chicken broth if you prefer more salt!
- Carrots – carrots add sweetness and pops of color.
- Celery – celery adds flavor and texture.
- Yellow onions – onions add flavor and texture too.
- Garlic – garlic…because garlic!
- Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rinds – you can get rinds right in the cheese section of most grocery stores! You can use parmesan cheese rinds that are less expensive if preferred.
- Bay leaves – bay leaves add the signature “soup flavor”.
- Fresh parsley – parsley adds a pop of freshness. You can use dried parsley instead.
- Dried oregano – oregano adds earthiness and warmth. You can use dried thyme as a substitute.
- Extra virgin olive oil – olive oil helps sauté the veggies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Feel free to substitute rotini or fusilli, orzo, or whole wheat short pasta shapes. Different types of noodles require different cooking times. Make sure to test the noodles often in the broth so you don’t overcook them!
Absolutely! Check out my Chicken and Rice Soup recipe.
Classic side dishes with the soup include saltine crackers, Buttermilk Drop Biscuits, Coleslaw, a grilled cheese sandwich, a Simple Cucumber Tomato Salad, Roasted Root Vegetables, Cheesy Quiche Florentine or Cheesy Bacon Mini Quiche.
Absolutely yes! Baked Chicken Thighs, Juicy Chicken Breast, or even Grilled Chicken Thighs work super well.
Make Ahead, Storage, Freezing
- Make ahead: Chicken noodle soup is great made ahead. If you don’t want the noodles to get soft, you can make the soup ahead and add noodles to the soup right before reheating.
- Storage: store soup in the fridge for up to 4 days, covered after it cools.
- Reheating: reheat soup in the pot over medium heat stirring often, or in the microwave in increments of 1 minute, stirring every increment.
- Freezing: freeze soup in freezer-safe containers and use within 3 months for best quality. Thaw in the fridge overnight or add frozen soup to a covered pot and heat over low, stirring often, until hot. Keep in mind the noodles will be soft! You can freeze soup without the noodles and add them to the soup upon reheating if preferred.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love!
- Easy Chipotle Black Bean Soup
- Dad’s Split Pea Soup With Ham
- Best Easy French Onion Soup
- Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 rotisserie chickens roughly 2 pounds each
- 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ pound wide egg noodles
- 4 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 large celery stalks chopped
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rinds
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano or sub dried thyme
- Small handful chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use a sharp knife to carve cooled rotisserie chickens, using your fingers to remove the skin and pull apart into chunks. Set chicken chunks aside in a bowl.
- In a large stock pot, add olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pot, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sweat veggies over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Add chicken chunks and stock. It may look like a lot of stock but the chicken and noodles added later will absorb a lot of liquid! Stir.
- Add bay leaves, cheese rinds, and oregano. Gently stir.
- Turn heat to high and cover pot, bringing soup to a simmer. This might take 10-15 minutes! Monitor so the soup doesn’t suddenly boil over! Once the soup starts to simmer, stir, turn heat to low, and cover again for 15 more minutes.
- Add dried noodles, parsley, and black pepper to taste. Stir. Let simmer (covered) over low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through, until noodles are just cooked.
- Remove bay leaves and cheese rinds. Serve as-is or with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese!
Video
Notes
- You can use parmesan rinds instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds for a less expensive option. You can typically buy the rinds right in the cheese section of your grocery store!
- You can use regular chicken broth if you prefer more salt!
- Either broth or stock can be used!
This was the single best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever made! The rotisserie chicken made all the difference.
Author
Hi Richard,
I totally agree about the rotisserie chicken! Thanks so much for letting me know how well it turned out!
Grace