By Emily Dawson, Food Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer
20+ recipes developed and tested in her home kitchen before publishing on British Kitchen Hub.
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Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Whole Chicken
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Whole Chicken Real chicken noodle soup starts with a whole bird in your pot, not so-called stock cube shortcuts. You boil the bird with onion, carrot, celery and herbs until you have a broth that is so golden in color it could easily be mistaken for something you'd want to drink from a mug on a cold evening. The meat leaves the bones in fluffy shreds, and you put the noodles at very low heat. Of course they are still springy; it lasts a big pot for this evening plus several tartlets in your freezer. This is the kind of recipe that people request after just one spoonful.
Prep
25 mins
Cook
2 hrs 45 mins
Servings
8 servings
Difficulty
Easy
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Whole Chicken
In fact, my kitchen once smelled of boiled chicken and thyme for three hours last January until a neighbor knocked to check if I was okay. It was. I was making this soup.
At first glance, a whole chicken sounds quite laborious until you recognize that most of it is hands-off time. You cover the bird with water in a pot, throw in any vegetables lying around to it, and leave it at a simmer. This allows the broth to extract a good amount of gelatin from the bones while keeping meat moist (not an endless juggling act with different stockpots and cooked chicken like shop-bought shortcuts).
Why this recipe works
Whole chicken equals better broth. Flours, creams, and bouillons do not come into contact with this broth: only skin, bones, and dark meat head for the pot so that it has body.
As you can see, it is not a rolling-boil simmer. Keeps the meat moist and prevents stock from going cloudy.
Boiled separately and added after. They hold themselves firm rather than go mushy in the hot pot.
Emily's tip
Remove the chicken from the oven when a probe thermometer registers 74°C in the thickest part of the thigh or leg wiggles easily. Once warm, shred it, then only return what you want to use for the bowls tonight. If your plan is to keep some frozen, put aside any remaining chicken and broth.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Whole Chicken (Step-by-Step)
Start with cold water and a whole chicken
Cold water and beginning the simmer gradually produce clearer broth than putting chicken in already boiling liquid. You want the pot to barely tremble not churn. If the surface resembles a hot tub, reduce the temperature.
Skim early, then leave it alone
The majority of the grey foam appears within the first twenty minutes. Simply a skim now will save you from running after the bits later. At that point, the pot can do its work. Each time you open the lid, it drops temperature and adds minutes.
Shred warm chicken with two forks
Warm meat shreds cleanly. Cold chicken fights you. For preparation in advance, shred while warm and then separate the meat from broth into containers of chilling space. That keeps the portions flexible for freezing.
Cook noodles separately
This is where the common mistake happens and people rue it later on. Noodles soaked in a broth until morning expand into paste. With a pot of their own, boil them until tender, drain, and fold at the last moment. It keeps leftovers that way as well.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Whole Chicken
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Equipment
- Large stock pot or Dutch oven (minimum 6 litres)
- Long-handled spoon or skimmer
- Tongs and carving fork
- Fine mesh sieve or colander
- Probe thermometer (optional but useful)
- Second saucepan for noodles
- Large bowl for shredding chicken
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Quickly rinse the chicken, and then dry it out with a paper towel. Put the bird, breast-side up, in a large pot. Add in the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, parsley stalks, thyme, peppercorn, and 1 tbsp salt. Alternatively, add enough cold water to just cover the chicken (about 3 liters).
- Heat to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. When the surface just rises as a light bubble, turn down your burner to its lowest first solid simmer. For the first 20 minutes skim any grey foam off with a spoon.
- Cover partially and simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes to two hours. Using a thermometer, the legs should move freely, and the thickest part of the thigh should register 74°C.
- Place the chicken up on a board. Pass the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, pressing lightly on top of the vegetables. Discard the spent veg. Normally I taste the broth and add as much salt if needed.
- Once the chicken is cool enough, if you want a leaner soup, pull off the skin (optional). Pull meat from bones and chunk cartilage. Leave about two thirds for the soup and save some of it to eat in sandwiches or salads.
- Resume your simmering with the strained broth. Meanwhile, in a second pan of salted boiling water, cook the egg noodles to packet time minus 1 minute. Drain well.
- Stir in chopped chicken and heat for 5 minutes on low to combine. Stir in cooked noodles. Spoon into bowls and add some chopped parsley or dill on top. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use a whole chicken instead of chicken breasts for noodle soup?
Breasts do yield lean meat, yet a watery broth. Then, a whole chicken brings bones, skin and dark meat, giving gelatine and fat for a rounder taste.
Can I make this chicken noodle soup in a slow cooker?
Yes. Place chicken, vegetables, herbs and salt into a 6-litre slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for four if the thigh meat is stuck. Strain and shred noodles separately as in the main method.
How long does homemade chicken noodle soup keep?
Store up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Do your best not to store the noodles together because they will lose texture, and it will be more unbearable when reheating. You may want to freeze your broth and chicken for less than 3 months. When ready to thaw and reheat, add freshly cooked noodles.
What noodles work best for chicken noodle soup?
Medium egg noodles are the classic option. If you cook them separately and drop them in at the end, they will be fine in the hot broth. As fine noodles will get soft more quickly, reduce cooking time by one minute.
Notes
Salt in stages
The broth concentrates as it cooks. Season lightly at the start, then adjust after straining when the flavour is true.
Freezing portions
Freeze flat in labelled bags: broth only, or broth plus chicken. Defrost overnight in the fridge and boil noodles fresh on serving day.
Serving ideas
Crusty bread, lemon wedge, extra black pepper, or a few drops of chilli oil if you want heat without changing the base recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 320 kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Sodium: 780mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
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