Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

There is nothing more comforting than chicken noodle soup. I’ve made this classic soup every which way: creamy chicken noodle soup, slow cooker chicken noodle soup, and instant pot chicken noodle soup. This easy stovetop method is the one I keep coming back to. It has everything you expect from classic chicken noodle soup: a bright, rich-flavored broth, juicy pieces of chicken, thick-cut vegetables, and tender egg noodles. Best of all, the upfront prep is minimal and the soup cooks in just 30 minutes.

• Rotisserie chicken. Not only does using rotisserie chicken for chicken noodle soup make this fast and easy, but it ensures that the chicken is flavorful, juicy, tender, and won’t be overcooked or dry. 
• Unsalted butter or olive oil. Butter adds a nice touch of richness to the soup, though if you’d prefer to keep it dairy-free, olive oil works well as a substitute.
• Vegetables. Yellow onion, carrots, and celery flavor the broth. 
• Chicken broth. A couple cartons of low-sodium chicken broth are the way to go when you want to keep things quick and easy, but if you’re game for a project, consider making your own chicken stock.
• Extra-wide egg noodles. To keep things simple, minimize dirty dishes, and pack in more flavor, the egg noodles cook directly in the soup.
• Fresh parsley or dill. Adding chopped herbs at the end of cooking is a great way to keep the soup feeling fresh while adding a pop of green.
• Lemon. Adding a squeeze of lemon juice once the pot comes off the heat is totally optional, though for me personally, it’s always a must. A little bit of acidity adds brightness to the soup and ups the comfort level even more.

You have a lot of opportunity to add flavor to chicken soup throughout the cooking process, starting at the very beginning until you take the pot off the heat. 

• Sautéing aromatic vegetables, like onion, carrot, and celery then simmering them in the broth adds more flavor. As does mixing in a few sprigs of fresh thyme and dried bay leaves. 
• Season the soup with salt and pepper early on, allowing the flavor to concentrate as the soup simmers. 
• Adding fresh herbs like parsley or dill along with lemon juice is a great flavor boost. These additions keep the soup feeling fresh and bright, and the acidity of the lemon rounds out the savoriness of the broth. 
• Taste the soup at the end of cooking. If the flavor tastes a little flat, adding more salt or lemon juice will help.

• Cut the vegetables into thick pieces. Keeping the pieces large ensures that they stay tender without getting mushy, and keep their bright coloring.
• Cook the noodles separately, if not eating all of the soup right away. This is because as the noodles sit in the soup, they absorb more and more broth, becoming soggy over time. I’ve found from experience that some egg noodles can hold up well, though most become a soggy mess and fall apart.
• Toss in the extra meat from the rotisserie chicken. Depending on the size of the chicken, you may find that after you pull off the meat you need, there’s still more left on the bird. Go ahead and toss it in the soup as well, unless of course you have another plan for the leftover chicken, like making chicken salad.