One of my favorite comfort food dishes to make is hands-down, chicken noodle soup. If you’re searching high and low for homemade soup that’s impressive, hearty, and filling complete with egg noodles, you’ve found the best recipe available! This recipe is the definition of comfort in a bowl. It’s warm, soothing, and made with plenty of simple ingredients that never go out of style.
If you’re sick, the chicken broth in this soup makes for a perfect flu soup. Perfect as a light meal or a comforting starter, this homestyle chunky chicken soup pairs wonderfully with crackers, bread, or even a grilled cheese sandwich! When reheated well, it tastes even better. Storing this soup for the next day is a great way to take advantage of all the flavor it has to offer. This recipe is simple, comforting, and timeless. It’s proof that some of the best recipes are the ones that feel like home.
Each spoonful of this chunky chicken soup is gentle, yet completely nourishing (without being overly heavy). The chicken is juicy and satisfying, and the noodles are perfectly tender. The broth is rich, yet cleaned, soothing and seasoned enough to let all the ingredients shine when together.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Comfort: This is hands-down one of the best comforting meals you can make at home. It’s simplistic ingredients blended together make this warm meal delicious any time of the day or year.
Ingredients: One appealing aspect of this recipe is the simple ingredients it uses to fuse together to create a scrumptious chunky chicken soup.
Easy: This recipe is simple to put together and can be made by even the most novice cook in the kitchen.
Savory: If you’re searching for something savory, warm, and comforting, you can’t go wrong with this soup! It’s perfect if you’re looking for a savory meal or side dish.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Before you begin, there are a few notes regarding the ingredients and potential substitutions that come with this recipe!
Egg noodles: We prefer the texture and flavor of egg noodles. It’s also fine to use spaghetti noodles or your favorite homemade noodles.
Herbs and spices: We use both parsley and bay leaves as a garnish for this soup! However, feel free to add your own. Additional spices that go well in this soup include onion powder, garlic powder, chopped oregano, and even poultry seasoning!
Broth: We recommend using basic chicken broth (not stock) for this recipe. You can also use bouillon cubes with water to make the broth as salty or thin as you’d like!
Zucchini: If you’re not a fan of zucchini, you can omit this altogether. There is no limitation with this soup. You can add plenty of veggies from green beans and corn to spinach with this mixture.
Tips for Success
You can actually use a rotisserie chicken that is already cooked. Most grocery stores with a deli sell hot, cooked rotisserie chickens for pretty cheap. If you don’t have access to pre-cooked chicken, you can cook your own and use that.
Storage & Reheating
One of the best things about this recipe is that is seems to taste better with a bit of time in the fridge. You can absolutely store and reheat this soup for later. This makes batching this soup an even better idea. To store the chunky chicken soup in your refrigerator, do so in airtight containers designed for individual portions. This will make it much easier once you decide to thaw or reheat the soup. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days!
If you want to freeze the soup, you can also do the same with the use of airtight containers that are freezer-friendly. Store in your freezer for up to 2-3 months, depending on the amount of soup you’re preserving.
To reheat, allow the airtight containers to sit on your counter for a few hours, or until they’re thawed or closer to room temperature. You can then microwave your chunky chicken soup for 2-3 minutes per serving. It’s also possible to reheat the soup on the stove over medium for 10-15 minutes, or until it’s warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
From Mexican sweet bread to Cheesecake Factory brown bread, there are many different ways to serve this chunky chicken soup! You can also use traditional oyster and saltine crackers to dip or break off into the soup for extra comfort! We never get tired of chunky chicken soup in this home!
Notes
Because you are starting with pre-cooked chicken, it cooks pretty quickly. You need to simmer until the carrots and celery are fork tender, approximately 25 minutes. Then add the noodles and continue to simmer until they are done about 10-15 minutes.
Chunky Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Rotisserie Chicken shredded (keep the skin/bones for a quick stock boost if you have time!)
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Medium Yellow Onions diced
- 1 bag 8 oz Baby Carrots, sliced into rounds
- 1 medium rib Celery chopped into 1/4 inch cuts
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 6 cups Chicken Broth increased for a better noodle-to-broth ratio
- 1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 bag 8 oz Wide Egg Noodles
- The Brightener: 1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt or to taste
- Fresh Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 8–10 minutes. This “mirepoix” (the French term for this veggie trio) needs time to release its natural sugars, which forms the flavor foundation of the soup.
- Add the minced garlic and dried thyme. Stir for only 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. This prevents the garlic from becoming bitter while waking up the oils in the dried herbs.
- Pour in the chicken broth. Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer. Cover and let it cook for 20 minutes to allow the vegetables to become tender and the chicken to infuse the broth.
- Add the egg noodles directly to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes. Cooking them uncovered allows the starch to thicken the broth slightly, giving it that “homestyle” body.
- Just before serving, stir in the fresh lemon juice. The acidity doesn’t make the soup taste like lemon; instead, it acts as a “highlighter” for the savory salt and chicken flavors.
- Remove the bay leaves. Serve in deep bowls with a heavy sprinkle of fresh parsley.
