My favorite chicken noodle soup is a fresh twist on my grandmother’s traditional recipe. Nothing is more nostalgic for me than homemade chicken noodle soup – and this one is the best!
Happy Friday! Is it just me, or did this week kind of drag along? Monday seems like it was SO long ago. I’m not complaining, though, because time always goes by too fast. So, a few slow weeks are perfectly fine in my book!
I’m really excited for today’s recipe as I can officially say this is hands down my favorite recipe. I know, I know. I say that a lot of recipes are my favorite, but this one will always be number 1. Why, you ask?
Because, it’s….
The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
We all have that one nostalgic food that takes us back to our childhood.. or a happy memory. Chicken noodle soup is that food for me. It’s why I’m not a vegetarian (seriously!), it’s the first thing I crave as the weather gets cool, and it’s something I always want when I get sick.
Homemade chicken noodle soup is also something that makes me think of my grandmother every single time I make it. Growing up, whenever I went to her house during the winter we would make chicken noodle soup. She would cook the chicken and let me help make the noodles. She’d lay down tea towels, roll out the dough, and then let me cut them with a pizza cutter.
Every single time I smell this soup it takes me back to her kitchen.
The process for homemade chicken noodle soup is relatively simple, but requires some time. You have to simmer the chicken with aromatics in water until you have a nice flavorful broth (and cooked chicken!). Then, you’ll want to cool the broth and scrape the fat layer off. This step isn’t required, but I like to do it because it gives the broth a clearer appearance.
While you’re letting your broth cool, you can make the noodles. Obviously if you don’t want to make your own, you can use store-bought. However, homemade chicken noodle soup isn’t the real thing for me without homemade noodles. That’s how I’ve always had it, and that’s how I always want it!
SO, let’s talk homemade noodles!
To speed things up, I use my pasta attachment for my mixer to make fettuccine. Then, I just cut that down into smaller noodles. However, you can just roll the dough out by hand and cut into noodles with a pizza cutter. Just like I used to do as a kid.
I’ve updated Grammy’s traditional method with a few fresh twists. I don’t remember her adding stuff to the broth, but I like to add carrots, onions, garlic, peppercorns, parsley, and a lemon. I absolutely love the hint of flavor the lemon adds. The noodle recipe is just flour, a bit of salt, and egg. Sometimes, you need to add a bit of milk or water if it’s dry and the dough won’t come together. Once you form a dough ball, refrigerate for 30 minutes and then you’re ready to roll! ?
I make my noodles gluten-free, but obviously the original recipe wasn’t gluten-free. I’ve found it works just fine with a good gluten-free flour blend (I like Cup4Cup for this recipe). However, if you aren’t gluten-free, simply use regular flour in the same measurement.
Yes, that is a bowl with sleeping cats on it… it’s my favorite soup/cereal/mac-n-cheese bowl. ?
Have a fabulous weekend!
- 1 (3-4 lb.) Whole Chicken*
- 1 Yellow or White Onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 Large Carrots, scrubbed and cut into large pieces
- 2 Large Stalks Celery, cleaned and cut into large pieces
- 1 Lemon, halved
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves, smashed and peeled
- 2 Teaspoons Peppercorns
- Handful of Fresh Parsley
- 1 Cup All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend (I like Cup4Cup for this)*
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Extra-Large Egg, lightly beaten
- 1 Tablespoon Milk or Water, only if needed
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Large Carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 Large Stalk Celery, diced
- Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley and Chives
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Place the chicken in a large stockpot and add in the onion, carrots, celery, lemon, garlic, peppercorns, and parsley. Add in enough water to just barely cover the chicken (if a little is exposed, it’s ok).
- Turn the heat on medium-low and allow the water to come a low simmer. Keep it at a low simmer for 1-2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the broth takes on a rich yellow hue.
- Remove the chicken and set on a plate or cutting board to cool.
- Strain the broth into a glass bowl or another pot. Allow the broth to cool and then refrigerate until the fat solidifies at the top of the broth.
- Shred the cooled chicken, discarding skin and bones. Set aside.
- While your broth is cooling, make the noodles. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add in the beaten egg. Using a spoon or fork, combine the flour and egg until the dough comes together. If it seems, dry add the milk or water. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Form it into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough to your desired thickness and cut into noodle shapes – you can do this with a pasta roller cut into fettuccine, and then cut those down. Or you can roll the dough out by hand on floured parchment and use a pizza cutter to cut into noodles. They don’t have to be perfect!
- Scrape the fat layer off the top of the broth and then bring it to a rolling boil. Add in the salt, carrots and celery and boil until the vegetables are tender. Stir in a handful of chopped parsley and chives, and season to taste with black pepper and additional salt, if needed.
- Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to a boil, salt the water, and cook the noodles for about 3 minutes, or until they float to the top of the water and are tender. Drain and rinse with cool water.
- Ladle the soup into serving bowls and add noodles and chicken as desired.
- *If you're not gluten-free, just use regular flour!
- *I like to keep the chicken and noodles separate because everyone likes their soup a little differently. I personally prefer more noodles and only a few pieces of chicken (or even no chicken!). Another reason I keep the noodles separate is so they don’t soak up too much of the broth and make the soup thick.
- *Once everything is cooled completely, you can add noodles into the broth and then freeze the soup in individual containers to have on hand throughout the winter.
I love Chicken Noodle Soup. This is like my comfort food whenever I am sick. I am excited to try your recipe. Thank you for sharing.