Molly’s Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Hi, guys! Remember that Simple and Crispy Whole Roasted Chicken I shared with you all a few days ago? Well, here’s a great way to use it! See what I did there? Also, shoutout to my amazing mother, who decided that she loves me enough to allow me to share her famous and proprietary “Molly’s Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup” on this blog. That’s a lot of love right there. Let me tell you, this is the best chicken noodle soup recipe you’ll find out there on the vast internets, so I’m happy my mom decided you loyal Savor + Harvest visitors are worthy. 😉
This soup is best served steaming hot inside the Holy Grail. Kidding, kidding. But seriously, this soup is best served on any occasion. In our house, it is typically (meaning not in 2020) eaten right when the weather begins to cool down and you’re starting to crave something toasty. Then it’s served again during the holiday season when we’re all lying around like big slugs watching holiday movies and hitting up my dad’s Scotch collection. Sounds nice and wholesome, right?
In all seriousness, though, this recipe is appropriate whenever the craving for something cozy and hearty hits. It’s also so easy to make and so freaking delicious that you won’t ever go back to Campbell’s chicken noodle soup again.
Why Molly’s Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup stands out:
This soup relies on the savoriest of savory flavors to work (and it works REALLY well), so you shouldn’t skip any ingredients. Trust us.
The Chicken:
Yes, you’ll want to add a whole roast chicken plus the pan drippings to this easy chicken noodle soup. You can either use our recipe for a whole roasted chicken (it only takes an hour and it’s waaaaayyyy better than a store-bought chicken), or you can get a rotisserie chicken from the store if you’re strapped for time. We should note, though, that rotisserie chickens from the store often have a ton of unnatural additives and preservatives that you probably don’t want in your diet. They’re also never going to be as fresh as a chicken that you roast yourself.
The Veggies:
We generously use onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms as the veggie co-stars in our chicken noodle soup. We like this combination with poultry recipes, and it’s what my mom has been using for the multiple decades she’s been making this soup. However, this is another “everything but the kitchen sink” kind of recipe, much like our Miso Ramen Broth. Therefore, you can use anything you have on hand in your fridge as long as it makes sense together.
The Noodles:
We are firm believers that proper homemade chicken noodle soup should be made with egg noodles. It’s just what you do. If you are not gluten-free, egg noodles should be widely available at any grocery store. However, if you’re a gluten freebie like me, you can use delicious gluten-free tagliatelle from Jovial. It’s the only gluten-free egg pasta that I have been able to find consistently in grocery stores in every city we’ve lived in. You can also find it here on Amazon if it’s not available where you live:
To serve and store this simple chicken noodle soup:
We like to serve this homemade chicken noodle soup garnished with a pinch of good quality parmesan cheese and some thyme sprigs.
Crusty baguettes are also made even better when dipped in this soup. Or you can do it like my dad does and butter some Saltine crackers to serve alongside it (yep, my parents know what they’re doing, OBVI).
Finally, this makes A LOT of soup. We usually have this for a couple dinners over the course of 2-3 days. Then, we simply freeze whatever is left over for lunches or nights when we don’t feel like cooking anything.
In sum:
We love this recipe because it never fails to hit the spot when you need it. It’s also the heartiest, best, easiest, chicken noodle soup recipe we’ve ever come across. So, let’s all raise a cup of holiday cheer to my MommaMolly and her mad chicken noodle soup skills. They have made many a cold winter’s night cozier.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. roasted chicken removed from bone and chopped. (you can roast your own chicken or use a storebought rotisserie chicken)
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 8 tbsp. salted butter
- 2 cups celery chopped
- 2 cups carrots chopped
- 1 vidalia onion chopped
- 2 cups baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp. fresh sage roughly chopped
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 oz. egg noodles *use GF if sensitive
For garnish:
- 1 pinch good quality Parmesan cheese
- 3-4 sprigs of thyme
Instructions
A note about the chicken for this soup
- We recommend roasting your own chicken for this recipe. Please see our simple and crispy whole roasted chicken recipe here for an easy and delicious alternative to a store bought rotisserie chicken: https://savorharvest.com/2020/12/14/simple-and-crispy-whole-roasted-chicken-with-garlic-and-herbs/ However, you may use a store bought rotisserie chicken if desired.
To make the chicken noodle soup:
- Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium-low heat.
- When the butter has melted and is beginning to bubble, add the onion and sauté until it is beginning to turn translucent. Then, add celery and carrots and continue sautéing until the colors of the veggies become vibrant.
- Then, add your chopped mushrooms and garlic and stir. Let the veggies sit over medium-low heat until you begin to see some brown bits on the bottom of your stock pot.
- Once there is an even coating of brown (but not burned!) bits on the bottom of the pot, add your chicken broth and stir, scraping up brown bits as you go.
- Add thyme and sage and bring soup to a simmer.
- Add chopped chicken, including the pan drippings and stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add egg noodles and stir until they are submerged and the soup is simmering again.
- Cook until the egg noodles are al dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve:
- Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with a pinch of good parmesan cheese and several springs of time. We also like to add another sprinkling of black pepper on top of each portion.