Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Want to know the secret to a fast-cooking chicken noodle soup? Your favorite grocery store rotisserie chicken and a solid base of vegetables! This Easy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe could not be simpler to make and is the ULTIMATE comfort food. Makes 8 servings.
When I originally published this recipe in February 2015, I was preparing to deliver our first daughter… and I talked at length about Father of the Bride II.
I also talked at length about how I was perpetually cold throughout my pregnancy, even during the summertime.
Which meant I made a lot of soup.
Obviously, classic Chicken Noodle soup is a beloved comfort food recipe, and I made it a lot during my pregnancy with Lady A.
I have since made it a lot for our whole family of four, and our girls go WILD for it.
Why I love this recipe:
This recipe is a classic for a reason, and it comes together in no time, thanks to the shredded store bought rotisserie chicken. (You could also use leftover chicken if you’ve got it on hand.)
Here are a few reasons why we adore this one:
- It’s fast. This is my go-to QUICK weeknight meal when we need comfort food in a hurry.
- It could be tossed into the slow cooker. If you need a meal that cooks as you’re at work, saute the veggies in a pan, then throw them and the rest of the ingredients (without the pasta) into the slow cooker. Let it cook on low for the day, then boil your pasta when you get home and are ready for dinner!
- Use your favorite pasta. I know people have opinions about what pasta is the correct pasta for Chicken Noodle Soup. Add your favorite. You can even use GF pasta here, too, for a gluten free Chicken Noodle Soup.
Basically, this is a dish that you can make on the fly and that’s ready pretty quickly without needing a ton of work or babysitting.
In fact, the most time-consuming part of this recipe is chopping the veggies and shredding the chicken.
And then you get to dive face-first into a bowl of comforting goodness!
More comforting soups to try: Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup | Seafood Gumbo | French Onion Soup | Roasted Butternut Squash Soup | Sweet Potato Bisque
Need dinner inspiration? Check out my Dinner Recipe Index for more ideas.
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
- Liquid measuring cup
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you need:
- Extra virgin olive oil — this is the oil that we’ll be cooking the veggies in. While you could use another neutral oil, I really like EVOO best.
- Onion — a white or yellow onion would be fabulous in this recipe. We use them interchangeably at our house. I do not recommend using a purple onion.
- Carrots — you can use medium carrots or baby carrots, depending on what you’ve got on hand.
- Celery — these stalks add the best flavor. Chop it thinly, and marvel at the excellent flavor it adds as the base of our soup.
- Garlic — please don’t skip this. It adds excellent flavor and aroma to the overall dish.
- Chicken broth or stock — I like to use a lower salt variety if I can get my hands on it, but you can use whichever kind you can find. Just be aware that you might want to add less salt to the dish because the stock is salted.
- Shredded rotisserie chicken — this recipe calls for a pound of shredded chicken, so you’re going to have extra left over from your chicken. Use the breast meat, chicken thighs (and other dark meat) or a mixture of both. If you like a meatier chicken noodle soup, feel free to throw it all in here. If not, save it for later (and for something like Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings or Rotisserie Chicken Salad.)
- Kosher salt — medium grain kosher salt is my go-to for savory recipes these days. You could use sea salt, too.
- Black pepper — my favorite is to grind my own, but any black pepper works.
- Pasta — we had rotini on hand, so that’s what I used. Sometimes, we use smaller pasta noodles, like stelline pasta, mini farfalle or egg noodles. I do not recommend using a longer noodle.
- Fresh parsley — this is optional, but it makes a lovely garnish. Fresh thyme is also beautiful and fragrant.
Substitutions:
- Make it gluten free by using your favorite gluten free pasta noodles! (And read the label on the chicken stock to ensure there is no gluten added there, too.)
- Change the pasta shape. We love the rotini, but any bite-sized pasta is perfect here! I have been told that egg noodles are a must by some friends, so if that’s you, please use that.
How to make Easy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken
Cook the pasta, according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. You may toss with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking.
Roughly chop the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. If you like your veggies to have a finer dice, you can absolutely do that, too!
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic and saute until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, too.
Add the chicken to the pot and toss with the veggies.
Pour in chicken stock slowly, and bring the liquid a simmer.
Lower the heat to low, and simmer for 15-30 minutes (or however long you have!) Give it a stir.
Taste the soup and season, if necessary. I use a heavier hand on the salt in this Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, but you do you.
When ready to serve, add the pasta to individual bowls and pour the soup over the pasta with a ladle before devouring!
How to store and freeze
If you’ve got leftovers, store the noodles and chicken soup separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. The noodles will soak up the liquid if they’re stored together, and you will have limp noodles instead of soup.
To reheat, simply ladle the soup into a bowl. Top it with a handful of cooked noodles. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
If you make extra for freezing, place it in a freezer-safe container, like a SouperCube* (affiliate link) and freeze until solid. Transfer it to a freezer bag or another freezer-safe container once solid and keep frozen for up to 3 monhts.
Thaw in the refrigerator in a bowl, then reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
A big ‘ol pot of Chicken Noodle Soup is the perfect comfort food to share during the winter months.
This would also make an excellent Sunday supper to share with friends. It’s also wonderful to share half of this recipe with a neighbor, as we did recently.
Here are some things you can do if you want to serve these to a crowd:
- Prep the ingredients beforehand. This means shred the chicken. Chop the veggies.
- Cook it until you add the noodles. If you want to cook ahead, you definitely can! However, I do not recommend adding the pasta until you’re ready to serve the soup. The noodles soak up the liquid, and the longer they sit, the less liquid there will be.
- Pair it with more comfort foods. While this easy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is a meal until itself, feel free to pair it with some crusty bread and herb butter, a bottle of white wine and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rotisserie chicken tends to be good for 3-4 days after you bring it home from the store, so you’ll need to eat this soup within 3-4 days of making it (assuming you made it the day you purchased the rotisserie chicken.)
Yes! We always use the bones from rotisserie chickens to make stock in the slow cooker.
Yes. I recommend removing the chicken skin before adding the bones to make stock. While it adds flavor (and fat!), I end up skimming most of it off the top.
The chicken should last 3-4 days once you bring it home from the store.
Quick tips and tricks to the BEST Chicken Noodle Soup
- Make it easy on yourself. Purchase a rotisserie chicken, shred it and use it in this recipe instead of baking and shredding chicken breasts or thighs.
- Cook the noodles separately… and store them separately from the soup if you have leftovers. They’ll soak up all the cooking liquid.
- How to store: Store the soup an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Store the noodles separately. Add the noodles to your individual bowl before reheating.
More comforting soup recipes to try:
Here’s how I made it:
Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. bite-sized pasta
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions 1 large onion, about 275g
- 1 cup chopped carrots 4 medium carrots, about 165g
- 1 cup chopped celery 4 stalks, about 185g
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 1 lb. rotisserie chicken shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Cook the pasta, according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. You may toss with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking.
- Roughly chop all the veggies for the recipe, if you have not already.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the warm oil. Saute until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the shredded chicken to the pot and toss with the veggies.
- Pour the chicken stock on top of the ingredients slowly, and bring to a simmer.
- Lower the heat to low, and simmer for 15-30 minutes (or however long you have!)
- Taste the soup and season, if necessary.
- When ready to serve, add the pasta to individual bowls and pour the soup over the pasta with a ladle.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
This is so weird, but I have never made chicken noodle soup. I KNOW. There’s something about it that seems out of reach and intimidates me a little bit, which I know is ridiculous. Your recipe seems totally doable. I guess it never occurred to me how simple and good this could really be. I’ve been making a lot of chili this winter, as it’s my go-to cold weather meal. If you haven’t tried it, there’s an Ina Garten recipe for her friend’s chili (I think it’s titled “Devon’s Award-Winning Chili” or something similar) that will rock your world. It’s incredible.
Wait, WHAT?! I totally get being intimidated by making a homemade classic dish… but it’s really not that hard! It took me a long time to work up to it, too, and I’ve still got some kitchen fears that need conquering, so I can’t really throw stones. 😉
Gah. I love chili so much, and I am going to look up that Ina Garten recipe because it sounds perfect for the weather we’ve been having in Dallas! Thanks for the recommendation, lady!
im always craving chicken noodle soup but always too lazy to make it because most recipes call for a bajillion ingredients. thanks for sharing a short and simple recipe!
ps: i was so close to dunking my face into my monitor, that soup looks toooooo gooood
I’m glad this looks so good to you that you were close to dunking your face into your monitor! Like you, I get annoyed when I find a recipe that sounds good but calls for a bajillion ingredients for something that seems so simple… and this soup is a winner. We’ve got a ton of it in our freezer, too!