Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – A Comfort Food We Always Come Back To
Comfort Food, Without the Fuss
This homemade chicken noodle soup is one we come back to. It’s the kind of thing that shows up when someone isn’t feeling great, when the house feels cold, or when everyone’s eating at different times and you just need something dependable.
I grew up thinking of chicken noodle soup as something you only had when you were sick… and even then, it was canned. It wasn’t a regular dinner, but once I started making it for my husband (who has always loved chicken noodles in any form), it slowly became part of our normal rotation.
It’s not fancy, not complicated… just familiar in the best way.
How This Became Our Version
Like most of the meals I make often, this one changed a little over time.
My husband and youngest son have an intolerance to garlic (it is hard to cook without garlic), so while many recipes will call for that, I had to find a way around it. I add onion and rosemary to give some flavor. Then one day, I added mushrooms… not because I was trying to reinvent anything, but because we had them and I didn’t want them to go bad. That small addition stuck. Now it’s the version my husband asks for, and the one I make without thinking twice.
That’s usually how the best recipes happen. So, if you want to readd garlic, or make some changes… be my guest!
Why This Soup Works Anytime
This is a soup we lean on when…
- Someone isn’t feeling great
- The day has been long and we need something comforting
- Dinner is happening in shifts
- I want something warm that doesn’t feel like too much work
It’s filling without being too much, simple without being boring, and flexible enough to adjust to whatever’s in the fridge.
Ingredients We Usually Use
I’ll add the full recipe and card later (which you can print), but this is the general ingredient list I start with. This is a forgiving soup… exact measurements matter less than using what you like.
Ingredients:
- Chicken (breast or thigh)
- Egg noodles (but any pasta works)
- Mushrooms (optional, but loved here)
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Chicken broth or stock
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
- Rosemary (or whatever herbs you like)
This is one of those recipes that bends with your week. No egg noodles? Use what you have. Extra vegetables? Add them in. Making it ahead? It reheats well and tastes even better the next day.
A Few Things That Make It Easier
These are a few things that I use or do to make this recipe easier.
- Precooked chicken: We usually have cooked chicken on hand because we’ll smoke or cook a few at a time and shred them. If you don’t, a rotisserie chicken or even a good-quality canned chicken works just fine.
- A good soup pot: I love my Dutch oven for this. We have both a cast iron Dutch oven (a wedding gift) and an enameled cast iron Dutch oven (a work anniversary gift from my husband’s job). Both are Lodge and I like them. The enameled is what is used in this recipe… though those are made in China while the regular are made in the U.S.
- “Pinch broth” (when you don’t have stock): We often make and can our own broth, but sometimes I’m out and don’t want to run to the store. This quick substitute works surprisingly well, and you can see the picture below of an example.
- For every 1 quart of broth, add:
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust if your butter is salted)
- Black pepper to taste
- Then add one of the following if you have it:
- ½ tsp garlic powder or onion powder
- ¼ tsp dried herbs (thyme, parsley, bay leaf, Italian seasoning)
- 1 tsp soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- For every 1 quart of broth, add:
❤️ Final Thoughts
This isn’t a show-off recipe, but it is a nice soup that you make when life feels full, energy feels low, and you want something warm that feels good.
If you try this homemade chicken noodle soup, I’d love to hear about it. Share in the comments or tag your pics @bemandfam on Instagram and Facebook, those glimpses into real moments mean more than you know.
BEM & Fam 🙂
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👇 Print this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- 2 quarts chicken broth 64 ounces, use pinch broth if needed (see notes below)
- 1 pound cooked chicken
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4-5 large carrots sliced
- 4-5 stalk of celery sliced
- 8-16 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp ground rosemary
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 16 ounces pasta egg noodles or whatever you like
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Get broth together into large pot
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Chop onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté them in butter and with the mushrooms until they begin to get soft.
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Shred cooked chicken into the veggies. If chicken is not cooked, it can be cooked separately and then added. Allow flavors to mix for a few minutes.
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Add the veggies/chicken to the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and the other herbs. Allow this to cook covered on medium for about 30 minutes.
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Make pasta separately, strain but KEEP the water. Add pasta to the broth and veggies/chicken. Allow this to cook covered for about 30 minutes. If the after 30 minutes the water has cooked down more than liked (the pasta is sticking out of the soup), then pour some of the pasta water into the pot. Stir, taste the broth, and salt and pepper more if needed.
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The soup is ready at this point but can cook longer if needed. Take off stove and let sit for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy.
“Pinch broth” (when you don’t have stock): We often make and can our own broth, but sometimes I’m out and don’t want to run to the store. This quick substitute works surprisingly well, and you can see the picture below of an example.
- For every 1 quart of broth, add:
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust if your butter is salted)
- Black pepper to taste
- Then add one of the following if you have it:
- ½ tsp garlic powder or onion powder
- ¼ tsp dried herbs (thyme, parsley, bay leaf, Italian seasoning)
- 1 tsp soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Adding Pasta Water to the Soup: I usually end up adding another quart and then season it a bit... this is optional it really depends on your preference of broth to chunks.