Ah, homemade chicken noodle soup! I cannot get enough in the wintertime. Anytime we have a whole roasted chicken or leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you can bet that I will be making a big ‘ol pot of soup within the next few days. Guess what?? It really isn’t as hard as you would think.
Sure you can buy stock for the soup, but homemade bone broth is the best for this recipe as it will give you all the healing power promised by your grandma! This recipe is an easy tutorial for making chicken noodle soup from scratch. And, let me tell you, it is the best!
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If you are in a pinch and don’t want to simmer bones for hours, you can make a quick broth. Store bought broth comes in Tetrapak containers these day, which are almost impossible to recycle. That is not the Green Life Philosophy way! Instead, check out Organic Chicken Better Than Bouillon. It comes in a glass jar, which can be recycled, and you can make broth in less than a minute. For this homemade chicken noodle soup, I use Organic Chicken Better Than Bouillon, but it comes in many other flavors, including vegetable and mushroom if you are looking for vegetarian versions.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Option 1: Homemade Bone Broth
- 1-2 pounds chicken/turkey bones use leftover pieces or a whole carcass from a previous meal
- 4 cups vegetable scraps OR chunks of unpeeled carrots, celery, and onion
- salt to taste
Option 2: Quick Broth
- 2 tbsp Organic Chicken Better Than Bouillon
- 8 cups water
For the Soup
- 2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
- 2 stalks celery, sliced OR 1 cup shredded celeriac root
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 package (8 ounces) egg noodles
- 1-2 cups shredded or diced chicken/turkey (use leftovers from a previous meal or cook chicken right in the broth and shred)
Instructions
Option 1: Homemade Bone Broth
- Place chicken/turkey bones into a large stainless steel stock pot. If you are using a whole carcass than you may need to break it up into smaller pieces to make it fit in the pot.
- Add the vegetable scraps to the pot or 4 cups of combination carrots, celery, and onions cut in large chunks. You can be very flexible with the types of vegetables you add and you could also throw in herbs like parsley or thyme which will add minerals and flavor.
- Fill your pot with water until everything in the pot is fully covered by an inch of water, but be sure that there is at least an inch left to the top of the pot.
- Bring water to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Let simmer for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours so that all the good minerals are released from the bones and vegetables.
- When you are ready to make the soup, place a colander over a large bowl and strain your broth. Discard bones and compost the vegetable scraps. At this point if you would like a very clear broth then you can strain your broth again using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, but I rather like the vegetable and meat bits as they add flavor to the broth.
- Salt broth to your taste
Option 2: Quick Broth
- Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large stock pot.
- Add 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon and stir well until dissolved. Taste and add more to your liking.
To Make the Soup
- You will want about 8 cups of broth, so if you didn't get enough from your homemade stock, then add more water. Poor your broth back into the stock pot, turn the burner to high, and bring to a boil.
- Add sliced carrots, celery, and onion and boil for 10 minutes until veggies are tender.
- Add the egg noodles and cook for about 4 minutes until soft. They will soak up about 1 cup of broth while cooking.
- Add the shredded chicken or turkey. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve hot.
