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Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Uses just a few simple ingredients—and leftovers are easy to freeze
- Classic chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food for flu season and chilly winter months
- My easy poaching method creates an extra flavorful broth
There was always something special about Grandma's homemade chicken soup that seemed to make every ailment a little easier to manage.
With tender chicken breast pieces, nutritious veggies, and a slurp-worthy stock, this fabulous soup is as good for your soul as it is for your tastebuds.
Big plus? It's healthier, cheaper, and tastier than soup from the grocery store!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- Feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. However, dark meat cooks a little slower because it's more dense.
- Chicken bones add flavor, so feel free to use bone-in chicken thighs or whole chicken pieces. Again, you'll need to increase the cook time and remember to fish out the bones before serving.
- Get creative with the pasta shape, especially if you have kids. Any short variety works. Egg noodles are often used in classic chicken soup, too.
- Toss in any fresh herbs you might need to use up. Rosemary, fresh parsley, thyme, and bay leaves all add great flavor.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- To a large stockpot, add the chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, and chicken stock. Let it simmer.
- Remove the chicken and cut into pieces. Remove the veggies and puree in a food processor. Set everything aside.
- Dice the remaining raw celery, carrots, and onion.
- Place the raw and pureed veggies and chicken pieces into the stock. Add water and bouillon to cover it. Stir in cooked noodles to serve.
🥫 How to store leftovers
Grandma's chicken soup always hit the spot—and I was happy to take home leftovers. Now, you can enjoy it anytime you want!
The best part about this recipe is that it stores super easily. Portion the leftover chicken soup into an airtight container and refrigerate (up to three days) or freeze (up to three months.)
However, liquids expand when frozen, so be sure to use a freezer-safe plastic or silicone storage container. Don't fill it all the way to the top.
Also, some brands of noodles get a little soggier after thawing. It's not the end of the world, but sometimes we'll keep the noodles separate from the soup so that I can just freeze the soup. Then, I'll just make some fresh pasta the next time we want to enjoy it.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and veggies, rather than straining them out. You don't want to risk accidentally dumping your delicious chicken broth down the drain!
- For really great soup, don't overcook the chicken. Smaller pieces won't take long, so check for doneness with a thermometer—no guessing!
- Dice up the remaining veggies while the chicken cooks to save time.
- I like to spray my measuring spoon with a bit of non-stick cooking spray before scooping out the bouillon. It releases more easily that way!
- Bouillon has salt in it, so don't season without taste testing first. You likely won't need any additional salt.
- If you're preparing the homemade soup in advance, add the noodles just before serving to keep them from getting soggy.
👩🍳 FAQs
It all depends! You won't need much, maybe a few cups or so, but if the veggies are larger, you might need a little more. Add just enough so that all of the ingredients are fully submerged and cook properly.
While it is possible to cook the noodles like this, I don't recommend it. Giving the noodles enough time to cook can cause the chicken to overcook and the veggies to become mushy. It's best to cook 'em separately.
📚 Related recipes
- Creamy Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup comes together in a pinch, so it's perfect when you're sick, tired, or just sick-and-tired of cooking!
- Another one of Grandma's classics, Old Fashioned Potato Soup is cozy and buttery, and super easy to customize with protein or veggies!
- Packed with flavor, Slow-Cooker Chicken and Noodles is a hearty, creamy dinner that feels comforting and only takes ten minutes to prep.
- Old Fashioned Potato Soup Recipe
- Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Soup (Easy 30-Minute Comfort Food)
- Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
🍽️ Serve with...
There's nothing quite as satisfying as dunking a thick, crusty roll into the last few drops of savory chicken soup. You can't go wrong with warm garlic breadsticks or smoked gouda cheese bread, either.
Don't forget dessert! Grandma's Dutch Apple Pie finishes off a nostalgic meal with sweet, buttery, cinnamony goodness.
📞 The last word
Who doesn't love a big bowl of chicken noodle soup?
Making yourself is quick and easy plus you can adjust the flavors to your own tastes. We practically live on this stuff all winter long.
If this isn't quite what you are looking for try this copycat Panera chicken noodle soup.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Grandma's Chicken Soup Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound chicken breast, boneless & skinless
- 2 carrots, peeled and left whole
- ½ onion, peeled
- 3 stalks celery, left whole with any leaves left on
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- ½ cup celery, sliced
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon, I used Better than Bouillon
- 8 ounces noodles
- salt
Instructions
- Add the chicken, half onion, whole carrots, whole celery, and whole garlic cloves to a stock pot.
- Cover with the chicken stock. If it doesn't cover the ingredients add water or a bit more stock if it's available.
- Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is 165℉ in the center when measured with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the vegetables and chicken from the stock.
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Put the cooked vegetables into the blender with a little stock and puree.
- Dice and chop the remaining uncooked vegetables if you haven't already.
- Add the uncooked vegetables, diced chicken breast, and vegetable puree to the stock.
- Stir until the puree is mixed into the broth.
- Use the bouillon and enough water to cover the vegetables and chicken.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Cook the pasta and drain.
- Stir the pasta into the stockpot with the soup.
- Taste and add salt if needed or a bit more bouillon if needed for flavor.
Notes
- Use a big slotted spoon or a skimmer spoon to remove the chicken and veggies from the broth.
- For really great soup, don't overcook the chicken. Smaller pieces won't take long, so check for doneness with a thermometer—no guessing!
- Dice up the remaining veggies while the chicken cooks to save time.
- I like to spray my measuring spoon with a bit of non-stick cooking spray before scooping out the bouillon. It releases more easily that way!
- Bouillon has salt in it, so don't season without taste testing first. You likely won't need any additional salt.
- If you're preparing the homemade soup in advance, add the noodles just before serving to keep them from getting soggy.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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