The bad news? If you have little kids, it’s especially messy. Do you even know how far a 2-year-old can launch a spoon of broth?! You don’t want to know!
How to Make Easy Homemade Chicken Soup
Making an all-day chicken noodle soup is one of my favorite ways to spend a lazy and chilly Saturday, but honestly, who has the time? (I used to have the time. But now I spend my time researching how to get Nutella out of the couch. Wait . . . is that Nutella?) So, I won’t pretend that this weekday version of chicken noodle soup has the deep flavor of a long-simmered, homemade stock soup. But it’s on the table in 30 minutes, it has real ingredients, and it’s a surefire dinnertime winner during these cool days. Using a rotisserie chicken means you don’t even have to poach chicken for the soup! And it also means you can make stock with the carcass for this soup—or the next day, for future soups or dishes that require it. Bonus!
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup Fast
Want to speed this recipe up even more? Pre-chop the veggies the night before and even cook the noodles in advance if you want. The recipe becomes an “Octonauts” recipe. One episode and dinner is done.
The Dad Add: Poached Egg
I’ve always wondered why the Asian ramen tradition of serving soup with a soft-poached egg never really caught on with American-style soups. Turns out there is no reason for this! A soft-boiled egg perched on the edge of your soup is a beautiful thing and adds a welcome richness to this quick chicken noodle soup. The kids can have one too, of course, but mine wanted nothing to do with it.
The Kid Report Card
This recipe is an easy win, as I said. My kids ate it up, although in different ways. My almost 4-year-old ate it like an actual bowl of soup: everything in one bowl. He slurped the broth and scooped out the goodies. Bingo. Winner. High fives all around. My 22-month-old is more finicky and insists on dividing and conquering, a common kid requirement. So, she got a plate with noodles, chicken, veggies, and a bowl with just some of the broth. A few tablespoons will do the trick so that when she decides she is finished and flings it across the table, I have less to clean up. She tried a little bit of everything though, which is absolutely all you can ask for at the dinner table!
More Kid-Friendly Meals!
Broccoli and Cheddar Quesadillas Rotisserie Chicken Stroganoff Easy Chicken Mac and Cheese Broccoli Cheddar Soup Fettuccine Alfredo With Mushrooms
How to Store and Reheat This Recipe
Refrigerator: Store in a tightly covered container for up to five days. Note: The noodles will continue to soak up tons of broth and get gluey. To prevent this, leave the noodles out and cook them separately, adding them as needed. Reheat over medium heat until the soup is hot, and the chicken is 165°F. Freezer: Store—without the noodles if you don’t want them to get gluey—for up to three months in freezer-safe containers. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat the soup over medium heat until the soup is hot, and the chicken is 165°F. If you left the noodles out to freeze, boil noodles while the soup is reheating and combine.
More Warming Chicken Soup Recipes
Chicken Mulligatawny Soup Chicken Peanut Curry Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Soup Instant Pot Chicken Wing Ramen Colombian Chicken Soup
8 ounces egg noodles 1 tablespoon melted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup white onion, diced (1 medium onion) 1 cup celery, diced (about 2 stalks) 1 cup carrots, diced (2 medium carrots) 2 cloves garlic, minced Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4 cups chicken stock, homemade or store bought 2 cups shredded chicken, from a store-bought rotisserie chicken Fresh parsley, for garnish Crackers, for serving
For the Soft-Boiled Eggs:
2 large eggs, optional
Immediately remove the pot from the heat and remove lid. Run the pot under cold water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking.
