The BEST Chicken Noodle Soup

I realize this is not a food blog but I need to document this recipe so I don’t lose it. A year or so ago I wanted chicken noodle soup and started with The Girl Who Are Everything’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. I’m gluten free so I just used the soup portion and made it fit to my dietary needs. I was a bit sidetracked while making the soup and did a few things weirdly but it came out AMAZING.

When you read my instructions you’re going to be like, huh? Trust the process. I’ve made the soup numerous times since and tried a bunch of different ways, including as the original recipe is written, and my messed up recipe is the best.

Recipe:

  • 2 tablespoons butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 3/4 cup chopped celery
  • 3/4 cup sliced carrots
  • 2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press but you could also chop it)
  • 4 cups Swanson Chicken Broth (32oz which is one box)
  • 4 cups Swanson Chicken Stock (32oz which is one box)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Noodles
  • Shredded chicken

Instructions:

  1. Chop the onion, celery and carrots. Add vegetables to a stock pot along with the butter. Cook over medium heat until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, stir, and cook another minute. Add seasonings and stir again. (I do not add salt to this recipe. The chicken broth and stock are salty enough for me but it may be different for you.)
  2. Here’s where it starts to get weird. Add the chicken broth and stock and turn the heat to high. DO NOT ADD THE WATER. Cook on high for about 30 minutes. You want the liquid to boil down. (I often double this recipe and cook for 60 minutes instead of 30.)
  3. Once your broth is reduced, add water to soup mixture. You should still be on high heat. In a separate pot start boiling water for your noodles. Add noodles to water pot and cook for desired length. Once the noodles are done, turn off the heat on both pots and drain noodles.
  4. Add the desired amount of chicken and noodles to your soup mixture and eat!

Notes:

  • I either buy a rotisserie chicken to shred or cook a chicken breast in the crock pot. Add a frozen chicken breast to a crock pot and turn it on high. In about an hour the chicken should be cooked and ready to be shredded. Both options work great.
  • This recipe works with gluten or gluten-free noodles. I use gluten free elbow noodles but you can use anything you like.
  • Do not add the water until after the soup cooks down. The first time I made the original recipe, I don’t think I realized the box is 4 cups and the recipe called for 9 cups. I added 2 boxes but that’s only 8 cups. I then forgot to turn the soup down once it started boiling and forgot about it for a bit. I added the water after the fact to equal 9 cups of liquid overall. I have since made this by adding the water at the same time as the stock/broth but the flavor is not as rich in the end.
  • I’ve tried different broth and stock brands but the combination of these two made by Swanson is our favorite. I don’t know how I ended up with this combo originally but I’m pretty sure it was a happy accident.

Being that this is not a food blog, I have no idea how to make this print like a recipe. My apologies. Feel free to copy the text and print to a piece of paper.

If you end up making this let me know what you think. I hope you love it as much as my family does!