Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (From Scratch Stock)

Final Thoughts

Homemade chicken noodle soup is the food equivalent of someone taking care of you. The from-scratch stock is the part that does the heavy lifting; the rest is just supporting cast.

The make-ahead stock trick (simmer overnight, refrigerate, skim the fat in the morning) is the move that produces a soup with real body instead of one that tastes like the carton it came from. Plan for it, even if the prep is half an hour earlier than expected.

Make it when someone in the house is sick, when the weather turns cold, or just because you want a quiet bowl of soup. Store the noodles separately from the broth and you have leftover lunches for days.

Most home chicken noodle soup is made with a carton of store-bought broth, which means the soup tastes like a carton of store-bought broth. The depth is shallow. The chicken sits in flavorless liquid. The whole thing is fine but never quite right.

From-scratch sounds harder than it is. A whole chicken simmered in water with onion, celery, carrot, garlic, parsley stems, and bay leaves for 90 minutes produces stock and cooked meat at the same time. The whole-chicken method actually saves time because you cook two ingredients in one pot. A heavy 6-quart pot, a fine mesh strainer, a Dutch oven, a microplane, and a jar of bay leaves cover the equipment.

What’s on the Counter

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The Sick-Day Soup That Became Universal

Chicken soup as comfort food crosses nearly every cuisine: Jewish penicillin (matzo ball variety), Vietnamese pho ga, Greek avgolemono, Mexican caldo de pollo, Italian stracciatella. The American chicken noodle version, with the wide egg noodles and the celery-carrot-onion mirepoix, descends from a mix of Eastern European Jewish and Pennsylvania Dutch traditions, popularized nationally in the early 1900s when Campbell’s launched canned chicken noodle and made the flavor profile a household standard. The from-scratch version we make at home now is a reaction to the canned: stronger stock, real meat, fresh herbs. It still does what the original promised, which is to feel like someone is taking care of you.

A Few Notes on the Ingredients

Stock: Either make it from scratch (a whole 1.5 kg chicken simmered with onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns, and bay leaf for 2-3 hours) or use the best boxed broth you can find (Better Than Bouillon roast chicken base, mixed with water, is the home-cook upgrade). The 30% extra flavor you get from real stock is the difference between this soup tasting like itself and tasting like a tired weeknight compromise.

Mirepoix: 2 large carrots, 3 stalks celery, 1 large yellow onion, all cut into roughly 1/4-inch dice so they cook in the same amount of time. The dice size matters more than people think.

Garlic: 4 cloves minced fine.

Egg noodles: About 200 g classic wide egg noodles. Campanelle, ditalini, and small shells all work and hold their shape better in leftovers; egg noodles bloat in storage.

Fresh herbs: Fresh thyme and a bay leaf go in with the simmer; fresh dill or parsley go on at the end. Dried dill is the Jewish-style upgrade if you like that profile.

Olive oil and butter: For sautéing the mirepoix. A knob of butter adds richness.

Kosher salt: At every stage. Under-salted soup is the universal home-cook failure with this recipe.

Recipe: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Active Time: 30 minutes | Stock Cook Time: 90 minutes | Soup Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 4 to 5 lb (1.8 to 2.3 kg)
• 1 large onion, halved with skin on (for stock)
• 3 carrots, cut into thirds (for stock)
• 3 celery stalks, cut into thirds (for stock)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed (for stock)
• Stems of 1 bunch of fresh parsley (reserve leaves for the soup)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 liters (12 cups) cold water
• 1 tsp fine sea salt (for stock), plus more for finished soup
• 2 tbsp butter (for the soup)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced (for the soup)
• 3 carrots, diced into ½ cm coins (for the soup)
• 3 celery stalks, diced (for the soup)
• 200 g (4 cups dry) wide egg noodles
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Make the Stock

1. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Pull out any giblets from the cavity.
2. Place the chicken in a heavy 6-quart pot. Add the halved onion, carrot chunks, celery chunks, smashed garlic, parsley stems, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
3. Pour in 3 liters (12 cups) of cold water. The chicken should be just submerged.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Skim any foam that rises to the surface during the first 10 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with the lid slightly ajar. Simmer gently for 90 minutes. The chicken is done when the meat pulls easily from the bone.
6. Carefully lift the chicken out of the pot with two large spoons or tongs. Transfer to a rimmed cutting board to cool slightly.
7. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or another pot. Discard the spent vegetables and aromatics. Skim any fat off the top of the strained stock.
8. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones in bite-size pieces. Discard the skin, bones, and any cartilage. You should have about 4 cups of shredded meat.

Finish the Soup

9. Return the empty stock pot to medium heat (or use a Dutch oven). Add the butter.
10. When the butter is melted, add the diced onion, carrot coins, and diced celery. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened but not browned.
11. Pour the strained stock over the vegetables. Bring to a simmer.
12. Add the shredded chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes.
13. Add the egg noodles. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the noodles are just tender.
14. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped parsley, dill, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. The soup will probably need more salt; do not be shy.
15. Ladle into bowls. Crack fresh black pepper over each serving. Serve hot.

Tips and Variations

Why the Make-Ahead Stock Is Worth Doing

The from-scratch chicken stock is the whole soup. If you can simmer the bones (with onion, carrot, celery, peppercorns, bay leaf) the night before for 2-3 hours and refrigerate overnight, the fat solidifies on top and lifts off easily, leaving a clearer, deeper-flavored broth. The stock also concentrates as it cools. Boxed broth works in a pinch but adds 30% more flavor when the stock is real and made the day before.

Why You Salt the Soup Aggressively

Under-salted soup is the most common home-cook failure with this recipe. Stock that tastes “fine” raw will taste flat once it has 8 cups of liquid, the noodles, and the vegetables fighting for the salt. Taste at three stages: after the stock simmers, after the vegetables go in, and right before serving. Add salt at each stage until the soup tastes like itself, not like a pale version of itself. Kosher salt is easier to dose than table salt; start with 1 tsp per quart and adjust up.

What Noodle, Herb, and Protein Swaps Actually Work

Egg noodles are traditional, but campanelle, ditalini, and small shells all work and hold their shape better as leftovers (egg noodles bloat in storage). Fresh dill at the end is a Jewish-style upgrade that wakes the soup up. Lemon juice (1 Tbsp at the end) adds a Greek avgolemono lift. For the chicken, leftover rotisserie shreds in at the last 5 minutes and saves an hour. Skip the chicken thigh→chicken breast swap; thighs stay juicier in soup.

How to Make This Vegetarian Without Losing the Soul

Skip the chicken, double the carrots, and add 1 cup of dried small pasta plus a parmesan rind to the broth as it simmers. The parmesan rind dissolves slowly and gives the broth the same body the chicken would have. A swirl of olive oil and fresh dill at the end finishes it. Use a quality vegetable broth (Better Than Bouillon vegetable base is the home cook’s friend here).

How Long This Keeps and How Well It Freezes

The soup keeps 4 days in the fridge. Store the noodles SEPARATELY from the broth, noodles left in liquid bloat and turn to mush within a day. Freeze the broth and chicken (without noodles) for up to 3 months; cook fresh noodles into the reheated broth when serving. This is the trick to having “leftover” chicken noodle soup that doesn’t taste like leftover chicken noodle soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store-bought broth instead of making stock?

You can, but the soup will taste like store-bought broth. The point of the whole-chicken method is that it produces stock and chicken meat in one pot in 90 minutes of mostly hands-off cooking. If you must use store-bought broth, use the best you can find (boxed bone broth or homemade-style brands work better than basic chicken broth) and add a rotisserie chicken’s worth of shredded meat. Skip to the “Finish the Soup” stage of the recipe.

Why egg noodles instead of regular pasta?

Egg noodles have the right tender bite for chicken soup. They hold up to the broth without turning into a paste and they taste right with the dill-parsley-lemon finish. Regular durum wheat pasta works but tends to overcook in the soup and turn mushy. Orzo, ditalini, or other small pasta shapes can substitute if egg noodles are not available.

Why are the vegetables added twice?

The first set of aromatics (whole onion, carrot chunks, celery chunks) goes into the stock pot and gets strained out at the end. They contribute flavor to the broth but are too cooked-down and stringy for the final soup. The fresh mirepoix sautéed in butter at the soup stage gives the dish its body. Two stages of vegetables is what separates from-scratch chicken soup from canned versions.

Can I make this with chicken pieces instead of a whole chicken?

Yes. Use 4 lb (1.8 kg) of bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, or a combination of thighs and a chicken carcass if you have one. The cook time is the same. Avoid boneless skinless chicken breast; it lacks the bones and skin needed to make proper stock.

How do I keep the noodles from getting soggy?

Cook the noodles directly in the soup for 7 to 8 minutes just before serving. They are perfect immediately and good for one day refrigerated. For a big batch that will last all week, cook the noodles separately in salted water, drain, and add to each individual bowl. The stock and chicken keep beautifully in the fridge for 3 days; the noodles soak up liquid and turn soft after day one.

How long does the stock keep?

Refrigerated in an airtight container, 4 days. Frozen, 3 months. Stock freezes beautifully in 2-cup portions for future soups or risottos. The shredded chicken keeps separately for 3 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen.

The closest thing to a hug in a bowl, made from a single chicken.

Last update on 2026-08-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API