This hearty Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch uses chicken broth made from boiling a whole chicken, making it naturally flavored and healthy. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and egg noodles for the best ever nutrient-filled chicken noodle soup. Make 2 ways: in the slow cooker or on the stove top.
There is no doubt that a homemade chicken noodle soup recipe is the ultimate American comfort food during the long, harsh winter days.
The way the stove heats up the cold-floored kitchen, or how the aroma of the broth and vegetables simmering all day in the crock pot warms up the whole house. Chicken noodle soup is perfect to cozy up with this fall or winter.
This recipe makes a large batch of broth from scratch— by boiling a whole chicken to create a nutritious bone broth as the base for the soup. Adding celery, garlic, carrots, and onions to the bone broth gives it glorious flavor, and the classic chicken noodle taste.
This soup is one of the most flavorful chicken noodle soups ever! It takes about 2 hours on the stove top and 6 hours in the slow cooker. Either way, you'll have one of the best pots of homemade chicken noodle soup for your family!
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This soup is super simple with either the stove top or slow cooker. Both have their perks. My family loves it because a whole chicken is boiled in water to make a chicken stock, with the bones releasing tons of incredible flavor and nutrients.
This lessens the amount of processed chicken broth or bouillon you need to use. It also uses just a few simple pantry staples, yet is oh-so-tasty.
Benefits of the Slow Cooker
- cooks all ingredients except chicken and noodles at the same time
- dump everything in and leave the house to run errands, etc.
- downfalls: makes a smaller batch than the stove top,
Benefits of the Stove Top
- can make a larger batch than in the crock pot
- downfalls: you are confined to the house for about 2 hours while it cooks
The main difference is the quantity of soup you can make. The crock pot is definitely easier because you can leave while it's cooking. I usually start in the crock pot, then transfer that to a large stock pot and add more water and bouillon.
Either way you slice it, classic chicken noodle soup is a hearty, veggie-packed, fill-to-the-brim dinner that is guaranteed to have you coming back for more!
Slow Cooker Instructions
The most important step is boiling the chicken long enough to not just cook it, but to create a delicious stock to use as your base broth. You need to do this whether you make it on the stove or in the slow cooker.
First, clean out the insides of the chicken, put it in a large pot, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and let simmer for at least 45 minutes.
Once simmered, remove the chicken to cool. Save the stock by straining it into another pot or measuring cup. This will remove the fat and chicken bits. You should get about 4 cups of stock.
Once cooled, remove the chicken skin and discard. Then peel the chicken apart to create pieces. You'll add the chicken to the soup at the very end.
I usually boil the chicken the night before while watching TV or cleaning up, since it's mostly hands-off. Then all my ingredients are ready to go the next day.
To the slow cooker add the chicken stock, veggies, onions, garlic, salt & pepper, bouillon and water. Set to high for 6 hours.
I always taste mine a few times throughout and add salt and pepper as needed, along with at the very end. Then I add more water and bouillon if I want more broth. I like to make a huge pot of chicken noodle soup and freeze about half, so I usually end up doing this.
Add the noodles at the end of the 6 hours. It only takes a few minutes for them to cook, and if they sit in the broth at a high temperature for too long, they will break apart.
Last, add the chicken and enjoy!
Stove Top Instructions
To make classic chicken noodle soup on the stove top, boil the chicken as instructed above.
In a large pot, add the chicken stock, veggies, onions, garlic, salt & pepper, bouillon and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes.
Add the noodles and chicken in the last 10 minutes, along with salt and pepper as needed.
Then enjoy!
Storing
Fridge: Keeps well for around 7 days.
Freezer: Soup freezes pretty well for about 6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or do a quick thaw in the microwave.
Reheating: Heat soup in the microwave or on the stove when ready to eat.
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Recipe
Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, insides removed
- 5 chopped carrots
- 6 chopped celery stalks
- 8 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 12 cups water
- 8 chicken bouillon cubes
- 12 ounces egg noodles
Instructions
- Remove insides from chicken and put in a large stockpot. Fill with water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken and let cool. Using a mesh strainer, strain the broth to remove chicken pieces and fat. Reserve broth. This should give you about 4 cups. Follow the steps below for making in the slow cooker or on the stove.
For the Crockpot
- Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, reserved broth, water, and bouillon cubes to the slow cooker. Set on high for 6 hours.
- Add noodles during the last 10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately to avoid overcooking noodles.
- Shred the boiled chicken and add pieces to the soup.
- Serve immediately, store in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
For the Stove
- Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, reserved broth, water, and bouillon cubes to a large pot. Simmer for 90 minutes.
- Add noodles during the last 10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately to avoid overcooking noodles.
- Shred the boiled chicken and add pieces to soup.
- Serve immediately, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Nutrition
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Pam
This is chicken soup for the soul. Cliché I realize, but trust me. The flavor, the soft and tender chicken, the aroma...it’s perfection in a pot. I had this during a sickness and it really hit the spot and comforted me. Can’t wait to have this again! If I’m taking soup to a sick friend, this is what they will get.