Can I use leftover or rotisserie chicken?

Yes, absolutely. Simply shred the chicken and add it toward the end of cooking to gently warm through while keeping it tender and juicy.

What type of pasta works best for this soup?

Small pasta shapes like macaroni, ditalini, or small shells work beautifully, as they fit perfectly on the spoon and blend seamlessly with the broth.

How can I make the broth more flavorful?

Simmering the chicken slowly with onion, garlic, herbs, and bay leaf creates a rich, comforting broth that tastes as though it has been cooking all day.

Homemade Chicken Macaroni Soup from scratch

Description

This cozy homemade chicken macaroni soup is like a warm hug in a bowl. This easy recipe uses a whole chicken to make the broth from scratch.

Ingredients

Scale

1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs). If you can't find a whole chicken, I suggest buying bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and thighs for the soup. The chicken skin gives off essential flavor and nutrients for this soup.
18 cups of water (make sure there is enough water to cover the chicken fully)
Aromatics (2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme and 1 star anise)
2 teaspoons of Fleur de sel
1.5 cups of chopped carrots
1.5 cups of chopped celery
3 cups of chopped leeks

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Instructions

Fill a stock pot with the water.
Add in your whole chicken, directly into the cold water with the aromatics.
Turn the heat on to medium high and bring to a simmer. Then bring the heat to medium.
Simmer for 1.5 hours in a stockpot over medium heat until the chicken is fully poached and you have a flavorful broth.
Gently remove the chicken from the broth and then strain for a clear bouillon.
Carve the poached chicken and cut into little pieces.(I couldn’t resist eating a few pieces when I was cooking - it is sooo tasty) Add back into the broth
Add in the chopped carrots, the celery and the leeks.
Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add another pinch of salt to taste.
Meanwhile, cook your favorite pasta in a separate pot. (always cook the pasta in a separate pot so that the pasta doesn’t sit in the soup and get all mushy!) I like elbow macaroni.
Serve once the pasta is al dente. Ladle some pasta in the bottom of each bowl and then top with the chicken soup.
Serve with fresh chopped parsley and grated parmesan.
Voilà A big pot of nourishing, homemade from scratch chicken noodle soup that is like a hug in a bowl to last you through the week. Bon Appétit!

Notes

Variations:

Rotisserie Chicken : You can use a rotisserie chicken for this soup. First, remove most of the meat and set aside. Then boil the chicken bones in the water as per the instructions to create the stock. Follow the instructions in the recipe card.

Can I freeze leftover Chicken Noodle Soup?

Absolutely, however I always recommend cooking the pasta separately for exactly this purpose. The pasta will get all mushy if you leave it in the liquid to freeze. It is much better to freeze the soup (without the pasta) and then add the pasta, fresh, at each serving.