Homemade chicken noodle soup starts with a whole chicken simmered gently in water with onion, carrot and celery, so the golden broth and the tender meat come from the same pot. Fresh vegetables and egg noodles go in at the end, which keeps them from turning soft and tired. It takes about 2 3/4 hours, and most of that is the pot quietly simmering.
Whole chicken vs bone-in pieces for the broth
A broth gets its flavor from meat and its body from bones, skin and joints, which release gelatin as they simmer. A whole chicken gives you a good balance of both, plus enough meat for a generous pot. Bone-in pieces work just as well if that's what the store has.
| What goes in the pot | Broth | Meat for the soup |
|---|---|---|
| Whole chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds | Rich and balanced, light gold | About 4 cups, white and dark |
| Bone-in thighs and drumsticks, same weight | Rich, slightly deeper flavor | About 4 cups, all dark and juicy |
| Backs and wings plus 2 thighs | The most gelatin, sets firm when cold | About 1 1/2 cups |
| Boneless breasts | Thin and weak | Lean and prone to drying |
Leave the skin on. It adds flavor and fat, and you'll skim off the excess later. If you buy a whole bird, check the cavity for the bag of giblets. The neck, heart and gizzard can go into the pot; leave out the liver, which makes broth bitter and murky.
Why the pot should barely simmer
Clear, golden broth comes from patience at the stove. Start the chicken in cold water and bring it up slowly over medium heat, about 25 minutes. As the water warms, proteins from the meat set and float to the top as gray foam. Skim it off with a wide spoon during the first 20 minutes and you won't see much of it again.
Once the pot is hot, turn the heat down until only a few small bubbles break the surface every second or two. That's the target for the rest of the cooking. A rolling boil churns fat and loose proteins back into the liquid, and the broth ends up cloudy and greasy instead of clean. It doesn't ruin the flavor, but it looks dull in the bowl and tastes heavier.
Keep the lid ajar. A fully covered pot creeps up to a boil without you noticing, and an open pot loses too much water over 2 hours. Salt the water from the start, about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, so the meat seasons as it cooks.
When to pull the chicken off the bone
The meat is ready long before the broth. After 50 to 60 minutes of gentle simmering, the thighs pull away from the bone easily and the breast is cooked through. Leave it in much longer and the breast meat turns dry and stringy, even though it's sitting in liquid.
Lift the chicken onto a rimmed sheet pan and let it cool for about 15 minutes, until you can handle it. Pull the meat into bite size pieces, discarding the skin and any gristle, and refrigerate it until the end. Everything else goes back into the pot: bones, skin, cartilage and the carcass, broken in half so it stays submerged.
Those extra 45 minutes are where the broth gets its body. A good pot should coat your lips slightly and set to a soft jelly in the fridge. If you have the carcass from a lemon herb roast chicken, add it now along with the fresh bones. Roasted bones give a deeper, toastier broth, though the lemon can make it a little sharper.
Should the noodles cook in the soup or on the side?
For a pot you'll finish in one sitting, cook the noodles right in the soup. They absorb some broth and pick up its flavor, and you skip a second pot. For leftovers, cook them separately in salted water and add them to each bowl. Noodles left in the soup overnight keep drinking until they're bloated and soft, and half the broth is gone by morning.
Wide egg noodles are the classic choice, but plenty of shapes work. Adjust the timing to whatever you use:
- Wide egg noodles: 6 to 8 minutes, tender with a little chew.
- Frozen homestyle egg noodles: 20 to 25 minutes, thick and dumpling like.
- Ditalini or small shells: 8 to 10 minutes, easy to eat with a spoon.
- Long grain white rice: 15 to 18 minutes, for chicken and rice soup.
- Gluten free pasta: cook it separately, since it breaks down fast in hot broth.
Taste a noodle a minute before the package time. The pot keeps cooking them in the bowl, so slightly firm at the stove is right on the table.
How long homemade chicken noodle soup keeps
A large pot of hot soup takes hours to cool on its own, and that's too long. The USDA leftovers guidance says to refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours and eat it within 3 to 4 days. Divide the soup into shallow containers so it chills quickly, or set the pot in a sink of ice water and stir for 10 minutes before it goes in the fridge.
Once chilled, the fat rises and hardens on top. Lift it off for a leaner soup or stir it back in for flavor. For the freezer, pack the broth, chicken and vegetables without noodles and leave an inch of headspace. It keeps well for about 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and cook fresh noodles when you reheat.
For more on fridge and freezer timing for other dishes, see how long leftovers last. A bowl with a thick slice of buttered sourdough bread makes a full dinner.
The recipe
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from a Whole Chicken
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1 whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds / 1.6 to 1.8 kg), or the same weight of bone-in thighs and drumsticks
- 14 cups (3.3 liters) cold water
- 1 large yellow onion, unpeeled, quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2 celery ribs, cut into large chunks
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley and 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
For the soup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or skimmed chicken fat
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, sliced into 1/4 inch (6 mm) coins
- 3 celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 10 cups (2.4 liters) strained chicken broth from above
- 6 ounces (170 g) wide egg noodles, about 3 cups
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Start the broth. Put the chicken, cold water and all the broth vegetables, herbs and seasonings in an 8 quart stockpot. Bring it slowly to a simmer over medium heat, about 25 minutes, skimming off the gray foam as it rises.
- Simmer gently. Lower the heat so only a few small bubbles break the surface, set the lid ajar and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, until the thigh meat pulls easily from the bone.
- Pull the meat. Lift the chicken onto a rimmed sheet pan and cool for 15 minutes. Pull the meat into bite size pieces and refrigerate it, then return the bones, skin and carcass to the pot and simmer for 45 minutes more.
- Strain and skim. Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl and discard the solids. Let it settle for 5 minutes, then spoon the fat from the top, saving 2 tablespoons for the vegetables if you like. You should have about 10 cups; top up with water if you're short.
- Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter or chicken fat in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrots and celery for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Simmer the soup. Pour in the 10 cups of broth, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the carrots are just tender when pierced with a knife.
- Add noodles and chicken. Stir in the egg noodles and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender with a little chew. Add 3 to 4 cups of the pulled chicken for the last 2 minutes to warm it through.
- Season and serve. Stir in the dill and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper until the broth tastes full rather than flat. Serve right away.
Cook's notes
- Make the broth and pull the meat a day ahead. Chill both, lift the fat off the broth, and finish the soup in about 25 minutes the next day.
- Any leftover chicken meat freezes well for up to 3 months and works in salads, tacos or another pot of soup.
- If the broth tastes weak after straining, simmer it uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes to concentrate it before adding the vegetables.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from a Whole Chicken questions
Why is my chicken broth cloudy?
Cloudy broth almost always comes from boiling. Hard bubbles break fat and loose proteins into tiny droplets that stay suspended in the liquid. Keep the pot at a bare simmer, skim the foam during the first 20 minutes and strain the finished broth through a fine mesh sieve. A cloudy broth is still safe and tasty, just less clear in the bowl.
What's the difference between chicken stock and chicken broth?
Stock is made mostly from bones and is often left unsalted, so it's rich in gelatin and sets firm when cold. Broth is made with more meat, is seasoned, and tastes good enough to sip. This soup uses a bit of both approaches: a whole chicken for meaty flavor, then the bones simmered longer for body.
How do I keep the noodles from going mushy in leftovers?
Store the noodles and the soup separately. Cook the noodles in salted water, drain them, toss them with a little oil and refrigerate them in their own container. When you reheat the soup, bring it to a simmer and add the noodles to each bowl. They warm through in a minute and keep their texture for 3 to 4 days.
Is it safe to leave chicken soup on the stove overnight to cool?
No. Soup left out overnight spends hours between 40°F and 140°F, the range where bacteria multiply quickly, and reboiling won't destroy every toxic byproduct they produce. Refrigerate soup within 2 hours of cooking. Split a big batch into shallow containers or chill the pot in an ice bath first so it cools fast enough.
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