Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup better than your Grandma’s

Alright guys, winter is setting in.  Here in Iowa, it is 15 degrees and headed in the wrong direction.  When the cold hits, I turn to my favorite stews, slow cooked roasts, and soups.  This homemade chicken noodle soup is something I look forward to making several times during the winter.  If my wife is sick, I am making this chicken noodle soup for sure.  It has special healing powers and it tastes delicious doing it.

Only a few simple steps and ingredients separate this soup apart from other traditional chicken noodle soup recipes, but they make all the difference.  The 1st big difference is what I call “double stock”.  A lot of people use chicken stock out of the box with chopped chicken and vegetables to make the final chicken noodle soup.  Or, they will make their own chicken stock and then add the same vegetables and chicken.  Well, we are starting with chicken stock out of the box and adding chicken and vegetables to make a double flavored chicken stock, and then adding more fresh vegetables that will make this soup extra flavorful.  This stock is the backbone of the recipe.  It is addictive.

The second big difference is adding a good amount of tomato paste to the soup.   This gives it a richer backdrop and slightly thickens the soup broth, giving it a little more body and flavor at the same time.  These two simple steps make all the difference.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Basics

1. Boil vegetables, chicken, and seasonings in a large 12 quart stock pot for 2 hours
2. Strain the stock and put back into the pot
3. Remove the chicken skin, shred the chicken, and add back to the pot
4. Chop fresh vegetables and add back to the pot.  Simmer for one hour.
5. Add egg noodles 15 minutes before serving

Follow the recipe below, add some saltine crackers on the side, and dive into a bowl of this incredibly flavorful homemade chicken noodle soup.   It takes a little time, but not a lot of work.  Perfect for lazy weekend days when you really do not want to leave the house.

The only special kitchen items you need to execute this recipe is a large pot.  I use a 12 quart stock pot for this.  The second item is a fine strainer that will catch smaller debris from the stock.

5 from 2 votes

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Better than your Grandma's Chicken Noodle Soup

Learn how to make chicken noodle soup that reminds you of your childhood, but tastes so much better.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings 8

Author Keegan

Ingredients

Super Tasty Chicken Stock

• 5 lbs chicken Use bone-in chicken or the entire chicken with skin on for a rich stock
• 4 stalks celery whole or roughly chopped
• 4 whole carrots whole or roughly chopped
• 1 large onion quartered or roughly chopped
• 5 Containers (32 oz) chicken stock I use regular stock, that contains the salt
• 2 small cans (6 oz) tomato paste
• 8 cups water
• 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
• 1 tsp Lawrys Seasoned Salt
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 4 cloves garlic smashed or roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 2 tsp Dried Thyme

Chicken Noodle Soup Assembly

• 4 stalks celery chopped 3/8" thick
• 4 whole carrots chopped 3/8" thick
• 1 large onion diced into 1/2" pieces
• 12 oz thick premium dried egg noodles

Instructions

1. Add all the stock ingredients into a large stock pot - I use a 12 quart pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours.  

2. Remove chicken from stock and set aside to let cool before shredding. Strain the stock to remove all the other ingredients. Place stock back into the pot after straining, bringing back up to a simmer.

3. Using a ladle, remove any excess fat from the top of the stock. 

4. Remove chicken skin from chicken and remove the chicken meat from the bone.  Shred the chicken with your hands and put it back in the pot. 

5. Chop up the new fresh celery, carrots, and onions and place in the soup. Simmer for 1 hour. 

6. Just before serving, add the noodles to the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes and serve. 

7. If you are only serving part of the soup, portion it out into a smaller pot and then add the amount of egg noodles you want to the soup.  By doing this, the left over noodles will not absorb all the soup broth you are saving for the next day.  

   When reheating, just add required noodles to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Recipe Notes

This recipe will start out looking huge, and then slowly become smaller as it reduces over time.  I would wait to add additional salt and pepper until you add the noodles, as the soup will be come more concentrated as you get closer to serving it.  As always, add salt and pepper as needed.