This is an amazing Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe that is FULL of flavor, tender chicken, and delicious thick egg noodles (those amazing frozen Reames noodles). This soup has a little thicker texture that will satisfy your craving for comfort food! It will be your new go-to Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, for sure, so make sure you save this recipe!
If you are looking for a kid friendly chicken noodle soup recipe check out this one for Chicken Noodle Soup for Kids. Or if you have an Instant Pot and want to make quick work of this recipe then hop over to my recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup (it’s a dump and start recipe!).
Seven Secrets to the BEST Chicken Noodle Soup
There are seven ingredients and methods that make this the best chicken noodles soup you will ever make! I will talk more in depth about some of these below. But I wanted to put them all in one place for you to see why this recipe is unique.
- Start with butter instead of oil.
- Add flour to make a little roux, this slightly thickens the broth and gives it “weight”.
- Use a flavorful stock, instead of broth.
- Add chicken base, it’s like a huge punch of chicken flavor!
- Thick frozen egg noodles, not dry noodles from the pasta aisle.
- Shredded chicken, not chunks of chicken.
- A little apple cider vinegar added at the end will wake up flavors (you won’t be able to taste the vinegar, promise).
Flavorful Chicken Stock
There is nothing worse than digging into a bowl of chicken soup and the broth looks like water and the only chicken flavor comes from the actual pieces of chicken.
The stock in this Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is not homemade chicken broth, but it is bursting with chicken flavor! We start with a good store bought chicken stock and then add something called chicken base.
The “secret” to getting a bold flavored chicken noodle soup without making your own stock is a tablespoon of chicken base. It adds that intense chicken flavor you want in the the broth of your chicken noodle soup. We love the Better Than Bouillon Brand.
If you are not familiar with chicken base it is similar to a chicken bouillon but it comes in a tub and is paste-like. You can find it in the soup aisle of your grocery store.
Most of the soup recipes on Mom’s Dinner call for chicken base or beef base. It is worth having in your fridge or pantry!
Frozen Egg Noodles
Another secret to this being the best chicken noodle soup recipe are the Reames frozen egg noodles. They are SO much better than the traditional dry kluski noodle or dry egg noodles.
The Reames noodles are thick and have a big hearty bite and actual FLAVOR. When they cook in the flavorful chicken stock/chicken base they absorb some of that flavor and are knock-out delicious!
If you can’t find the Reames brand, any similar frozen egg noodle will work.
And once you LOVE the frozen egg noodles you need to make this Creamy Chicken and Noodle Recipe.
Turmeric
This spice is another secret ingredient to a really good chicken noodle soup with depth of flavor.
It doesn’t add a super noticeable flavor that you can pick out in the soup. But it adds a deep warmness and umami to the soup that can’t be beat!
It is also a vibrant yellow color so it punches up the color of your broth!
Turmeric is also a great anti-inflammatory food. It is activated by black pepper, so make sure you crack some pepper in your soup to get all the benefits.
Cooked Chicken
This recipe calls for cooked chicken to be added to the soup. There are a few ways we recommend you make or buy the chicken.
- Easiest: buy a rotisserie chicken and use both breasts and maybe some of the dark meat. Save the bones to make Chicken Stock in your Instant Pot!
- Instant Pot: either make all purpose chicken or a rotisserie chicken in your Instant Pot.
- Poach: cook two or three chicken breasts in simmering water, poaching is a great way to make plain chicken!
- Baking: coat 2-3 chicken breast with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Then bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Make sure it reaches 165 degree internal temp before removing from the oven.
Then you can shred or chop the chicken before adding it to the soup. But we HIGHLY RECCOMEND SHREDDING THE CHICKEN. It adds a really nice texture to the soup.
Pro Tip: to easily shred your chicken while it is still warm, pop it in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on low for about 30 seconds.
More Popular Chicken Soup Recipes on Mom’s Dinner
If you love having chicken soup for dinner then check out some of these other comforting soup recipes:
How to Make the Best Chicken Noodle Soup
You are only a few steps away from the best chicken noodle soup you have ever had!
- Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic until the veggies soften and onions become translucent- about 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken base, turmeric, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper and bay leaf and stir to coat the vegetables with all the herbs and spices.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
- Add the frozen egg noodles and cooked shredded chicken. Cook over medium- low heat for 20-25 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.
- Turn the heat to low and add the vinegar, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve.
Side Dishes for Chicken Noodle Soup
At our house we just serve this with saltine crackers or a large warm baguette, and that’s it. This is a pretty hearty soup that fills you up on it’s own!
A loaf of this 4 Ingredient Beer Bread would make a great side dish too!
Some type of tea sandwich could also be great. Use smaller buns or slider size buns, add some ham or turkey, provolone cheese, and then a mayo/mustard mixture.
Raw veggies with ranch or blue cheese dip also makes a great side.
Storing & Freezing
This recipe makes quite a bit of soup, so plan on leftovers! Which, just like chili, is even better than the first go-around. YUM
Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It will thicken as it sits in the fridge so you may need to add a little broth or stock to reconstitute when reheating.
You an also freeze a batch of this Chicken Noodle Soup for easy dinner on buys weeknights. It will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and then heat on the stove. Or place the frozen soup in a large pot and reheat.
You can also use these amazing souper cubes to freeze individual portions of the soup.
Did you make this recipe?!
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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon Butter
- 1 Yellow Onion chopped
- 3 Celery Stalks chopped
- 4 Carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Chicken Base
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 2 quarts Chicken Stock (8 cups)
- 12 oz frozen egg noodles I use Reames Brand
- 3 cups cooked chicken recommend shredding (I use rotisserie chicken look at notes for other options)
- 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Make sure the butter doesn't brown. If it starts to brown turn the heat to medium low.4 tablespoon Butter
- Add the chopped onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften and onions become translucent- about 10 minutes.1 Yellow Onion, 3 Celery Stalks, 4 Carrots, 2 Large Garlic Cloves
- Add the next 6 ingredients and stir to coat the vegetables.½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon Chicken Base
- Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 or 2 minutes.It may start to glaze the bottom of the pot, that is ok, it is added flavor! Just be sure to deglaze the bottom in the next step.2 tablespoon flour
- Pour a little stock in the hot pot and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot (this is called deglazing, and it means you are getting all the flavor that has cooked to the pot)Whisk in the rest of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat.2 quarts Chicken Stock (8 cups)
- Add in the frozen egg noodles and cooked shredded chicken. Lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are cooked through.12 oz frozen egg noodles, 3 cups cooked chicken
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the vinegar, cook for an additional 5 minutes.1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Remove the bay leaf and serve.
Storing
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- It may thicken as it sits in the fridge, add a little chicken broth or water to reconstitute when reheating
Freezing
- Make the soup completely and let cool. Keep in freezer safe baggies or containers for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight or use straight from frozen by thawing/reheating in a large pot.
Notes:
- Easiest: buy a rotisserie chicken and use both breasts and maybe some of the dark meat. Save the bones to make Chicken Stock in your Instant Pot!
- Instant Pot: either make all purpose chicken or a rotisserie chicken in your Instant Pot.
- Poach: cook two or three chicken breasts in simmering water, poaching is a great way to make plain chicken!
- Baking: coat 2-3 chicken breast with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Then bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Make sure it reaches 165 degree internal temp before removing from the oven.
If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.
Jill
After years of looking, I finally found my Chicken Noodle Soup recipe! This one is a keeper and I’m throwing all the other CNS recipes out. I started mine in the morning with a whole chicken, some celery hearts, an onion, a bay leaf, 1 T salt and 3 quarts water–poached the chicken for an hour then deboned the chicken, put the meat in the fridge, added the carcass back into the pot and simmered all afternoon. When I was ready to make my soup I strained the broth and put the required 2 quarts back into the pot and made my soup. IT WAS SO GOOD! I followed the recipe as written but was reluctant to add the vinegar at the end but next time I will give it a shot.
I really like the format of the recipe too, this is the first time I’ve seen ingredients listed along with each step and I love that feature so much. Thank you to the author for that convenience, I will be checking out more of your recipes now.
Susie Weinrich
WOW- you went the extra mile and made your own stock. I love that! I bet your soup was extra delicious. Your comment will definitely be the “comment of the week” in next weeks newsletter.
I love the feature of having the ingredients in the instructions too. I have to do it manually so it isn’t in all the recipes yet, but I’m working on it.
Thank you for checking out other Mom’s Dinner recipes! -Susie
Lisa
I have been making this “chicken and noodle” soup for the past few years! Hands down it is the best chicken noodle soup recipe out there. My toddler grandbabies call it “Grammy’s noodles” and they devour it when I make it. I follow the recipe to the letter and usually double it so I can freeze some! Thanks for this recipe:)
Susie Weinrich
I LOVE this!! Thank you so much for sharing with me.
Brooke
This is my absolute favorite. I feel like I always have to go on a hunt to find this recipe webpage, though. What a shame! The internet’s best kept secret. Because I am lazy, I use 2 qts chicken broth instead of stock and base. I leave out the turmeric unless we magically have some at home. Even with my substitutions, it is still perfect.
Susie Weinrich
Oh no!! I definitely don’t want to be a secret on the internet! LOL! Google needs to put this Chicken Noodle Soup as #1 so everyone can find it.
Peggy Cassidy
Wonderful soup, my husband has asked me to make it numerous times. It’s a real compliment because he is very picky and isn’t crazy about chicken.
Michele Bailey-Tucker
I made this soup for my daughter. She was feeling poorly, but after she had a few bowls of slow cooked LOVE she is feeling much better 😋
Anthony
One of the best recipes I found on the internet. Next day use some extra chicken stock to bring it back to life and put it in a pie crust, great chicken noodle pot pie.
KANANI WELLS
Just wondering, what does the apple cider vinegar do?
Susie Weinrich
Vinegar is actually a flavor enhancer, like salt. It just adds a little note to enhance all the other flavors.
Dani
LOVED THIS SOUP! Pretty simple and made a hearty meal! Differently 5 star!
Excited to try your other recipes.
Nancy
This looks a a flavorful soup. I have been using soup starter which is not available anymore.
I like your name. Our daughter Susan was called Susie when young until her school teachers started to call her Suzy not her name she would say, now she is Susan.
Susie
I forgot I had made this before. It cooked down so much that there was no stock left and the noodles were still chewy. Flavor is good, but not a fan of it not being a soup. Instead, it is chicken and chewy noodles.
Paulina
I agree. However, it is so tasty and I don’t mind that it’s like a casserole. You can always add more chicken broth.
Barb
This sounds delicious but I haven’t made it yet since there are only two of us and it would be way too much, even with leftovers the next day, Would it be ok to freeze leftovers?
Susie Weinrich
You should definitely be able to freeze this! It should stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Sarah
I love this recipe so much. How long can leftovers be refrigerated?
Susie Weinrich
I would say up to 5 days.
Shannon
Do you think if I wear to freeze first I shouldAdd the noodles at time to thaw and cook?
Susie Weinrich
That is probably what I would do! Since the noodles are frozen in the first place I wouldn’t want to cook them, refreeze, then cook again.