Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Lois · As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This site contains affiliate links · 20 Comments

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Bursting with flavor and nourishing ingredients, this recipe for chicken soup with macaroni will bring warm you up even on the chilliest of days.

Made with tender chicken, vegetables, and herbs, each spoonful is a taste of pure comfort!

Whether you're sick with a cold and need a soul-soothing meal, or simply craving a bowl of goodness, comforting chicken soup is the answer.

Let me show you how to make another one of my favoriteBest Fall Soup Recipes.

Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (1)

This is one of the earlier recipes I shared on my blog. I've been making this recipe for Homemade Chicken Soup for years. And I'm so glad that I finally got around to updating the photos and the post.

There's nothing more comforting than a bowl of chicken soup and a few grilled cheese sandwiches...all year round!

Looking for more soup recipes to add to your Weekly Meal Plan? Try my Broccoli Cheese Soup Panera Bread Copycat recipe, my Loaded Potato Soup or even Italian Penicillin Soup served with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Another idea for serving soup for dinner are Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup or try this recipe for Buttercup Squash Soup that's low-carb, and gluten-free.

Table of Contents
  • What Noodles for Chicken Noodle Soup?
  • 🛒Helpful Kitchen Tools
  • 📋Ingredients
  • Substitutions and Variations
  • Step-by-Step Instructions
  • How to Cook Chicken for Soup
  • Top Tip
  • Add and Cook the Vegetables
  • Chicken Noodle Soup recipe with Elbow Macaroni
  • Before You Begin!
  • 🥣Serving Tips
  • 🍶Storage Tips
  • ❄️Freezing Tips
  • 🔁 Thawing and Reheating Tips
  • 🌟More Delicious Soup Recipes
  • 📇Recipe Card
  • 💬 Comments

What Noodles for Chicken Noodle Soup?

  • Egg noodles are a classic choice for chicken noodle soup.
  • Wide noodles such as fettuccine, can be a delicious option for chicken noodle soup. These broad noodles provide a hearty bite and hold up well in the broth.
  • Thin noodles like angel hair or vermicelli, are delicate and cook quickly. They add a light and tender element to the soup, allowing the flavors of the chicken and broth to shine through.
  • Rice noodles are a gluten-free option if you enjoy a lighter noodle. They are thin, translucent, and have a delicate texture that pairs well with the chicken and vegetables.
  • Elbow macaroni are my family's choice of noodle.
  • Potato gnocchi are pillowy-soft dumplings made from potatoes, flour, and eggs add a rich and hearty element to the soup. As the gnocchi cook in the simmering broth, they absorb the flavors, becoming tender and infused with the savory essence of the chicken.

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📋Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Carrots, peeled and diced
  • Celery, about 3 stalks, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • Canned chicken stock
  • 4 cups water
  • Bay leaf
  • 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni noodles; cooked according to package
  • Fresh dill or parsley as garnish

Substitutions and Variations

  • You can use a rotisserie chicken if you don't have time to cook.
  • I sometimes like to cook my chicken in the crock pot and then dice it up to add to the soup. Leftover roast chicken is great too!
  • Try this recipe for Homemade Chicken Stock if you prefer not to use canned broth.
  • My family loves elbow pasta, but my favorite is to add cooked cheese tortellini or even cooked potato gnocchi.

Step-by-Step Instructions

How to Cook Chicken for Soup

  • Step 1: Heat oil in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown both sides and season with salt and pepper.
  • Step 2: Cook the chicken until the juices run clear. Allow chicken to rest for 2-3 minutes before chopping into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (6)

Top Tip

If using a cast iron pan to cook the chicken in, make sure you check out my tips for cleaning a cast iron skillet here.

Add and Cook the Vegetables

  • Step 3: Heat a large stock pot on medium heat on top of the stove. Add the remaining oil.
  • Step 4: Then add carrots, celery and onion to the stock pot – and stir to coat with oil. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (7)

Chicken Noodle Soup recipe with Elbow Macaroni

  • Step 5: Add the chicken stock, water and a bay leaf.
  • Step 6: Adjust heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, adjust heat to a medium-low temperature and simmer soup for 8 minutes.
  • Step 7: Add the cooked elbow macaroni and chicken.You can use your favorite noodle or rice!
  • Step 8: Stir to combine and allow everything to simmer for a few extra minutes before serving.
Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (8)

Before You Begin!

If you make this recipe, please leave a review and star rating. This helps my business thrive and continue providing FREE recipes.

Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (9)

🥣Serving Tips

  • Serve this easy homemade chicken soup hot, garnished with fresh dill or chopped parsley. I like to also serve this recipe with homemade biscuits or a simple grilled cheese sandwich.
  • You can even serve this soup inbread bowlsas a fun presentation. This soup is a meal in itself because of the vegetables and pasta.

🍶Storage Tips

  • Allow the soup to cool to room temperature.
  • Then store in the refrigerator in airtight containers for a few days.

❄️Freezing Tips

Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (10)

Silicone Freezer Tray for Soup Cube: GGOW Silicone Freezing Tray for Broth Sauce Storage - Freeze 250mL 125mL Souped Portion

  • PERFECT PORTION CONTROL SOUP STORAGE: Each cavity has the ½cup, 1-cup, 125 mL and 250 mL measurements marked inside. This is a neat way to freeze in accurate size portions. Soup cubes freezer tray is perfect for batch cooking and having leftovers frozen for later use. Freezer soup containers is a must for anyone who batch cooks soup or broth.

$19.99 Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (11)

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🔁 Thawing and Reheating Tips

  • When you're ready to enjoy the soup, transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight.
  • Once the soup is thawed, you can reheat it on the stovetop or reheat it in the microwave in a microwave-proof bowl.

Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (12)

WHJY 30oz Ceramic Bowl with Lid and Handle for Soup and Instant Noodles Soup Mug, Modern Simple Style, with Heat Preservation Handle - Blue

  • Simple Moder Style - Soild color with simle modern nordic stripe design, comes with a food grade PP lid which has a expiration reminder function button, which can be used as a time dial and a vent valve. It's suitable for instant noodels, soup cereal or saving food in Refrigerator.

$15.48 Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (13)

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🌟More Delicious Soup Recipes

  • My husband loves when this recipe for French Onion Soup is on our meal plan. Check out the VIDEO as well in the post!
  • Best Fall Soups - a delicious collection of soups from my site and a few of my foodie friends!
  • Try my daughter's favorite hearty Pasta fa*gioli Soup made in the crock pot.It's like a meal in a bowl!
  • Need a recipe that's delicious and budget-friendly? Try my Potato Corn Chowder.

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Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (15)

Chicken Soup with Macaroni

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Made with tender chicken, vegetables, and herbs, each spoonful of this chicken soup with macaroni is a taste of pure comfort!

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Soup:

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 32 oz chicken stock
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 ½ cups elbow macaroni noodles; cooked according to package
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh dill or parsley as garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown both sides, cooking until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Allow chicken to rest for 2-3 minutes before chopping into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
  2. While chicken is cooking, start the soup by heating a large stock pot on medium heat. Add oil.
  3. Add carrots, celery and onion to the stock pot – and stir to coat with oil. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add salt, chicken stock, water and a bay leaf.
  5. Adjust heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, adjust heat to a medium-low temperature and simmer soup for 30 minutes before adding noodles.
  6. Taste broth and add salt if needed.
  7. Stir in chicken and continue cooking for a few minutes till everything is combined.
  8. Just before serving, remove the bay leaf.
  9. Garnish with fresh chopped dill or chopped parsley before serving.

Notes

  • You can easily prepare this soup using a rotisserie chicken or even leftover chicken from a Roast Chicken.
  • Make sure you cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a digital meat thermometer to check for doneness.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 295Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 328mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 24g

The nutrition information is calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you, please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator.

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This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2011 with new photos and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paula Short says

    I can virtually taste this! This sounds so warm and cozy. What came to mind, do you remember the Campbell's soup commercial where the boy comes in from outside like a snowman and sits down to eat his soup and melts off? That's how cozy and inviting this reminds me of.
    Thanks bunches for sharing this recipe with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.

    Reply

  2. Julie Briones says

    So happy you shared this yummy recipe at Tuesday Turn About, Lois. I'll be featuring you recipe at this week's party! Pinned!

    Reply

  3. Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says

    I get a huge kick out of updated, "before and after" food photography posts: they remind me that I'm not alone in my quest to go back and update horrid shots from the beginnings of my blog! This soup looks just like a warm hug in a bowl. It would also be great for using up turkey leftovers, am I right?! 😉

    Reply

    • Lois says

      I really didn't know what I was doing when I first published this recipe! Thanks for visiting Michelle!

      Reply

  4. Trisha says

    I'm trying not to covet your porch....

    The chicken soup sounds yummy AND easy. I've been looking for a recipe like this. I'm sure it brought the Colonel much comfort. Enjoy your beautiful snow!

    Reply

  5. Jill says

    Oh I do hope the Colonel feels better soon. I'm sure that yummy soup will do the trick!

    Reply

  6. Maggie Ann says

    I love staying home on cold snowy days too. You must be a wonderful cook! I do hope your Colonel is feeling better now. Our grandson has strep....hope your hubby doesn't have that. I wish time didn't fly by so quickly online...its so much fun!

    Reply

  7. Chatty Crone says

    Wish we were having chicken soup. I hope and pray that Colonel gets well quick! sandie

    Reply

  8. Paula says

    Ooooh~ *BRRRR* it looks so cold there! Sorry your hubby is under the weather, but I'll bet your yummy soup will help him get back on his feet again!

    Reply

  9. Elena says

    So sorry to hear that your hubby is sick. I hope he feels better soon.

    Reply

  10. A Hint of Home says

    Looks yummy! I hope the colonel gets better soon!
    Take care not to catch it.
    Hugs!

    Reply

  11. My Journey With Candida says

    A nice bowl of your chicken soup would be great today. Even if I am not sick. It is cold here in Pennsylvaina.... really cold.

    Reply

  12. Sue says

    Chicken soup, one of my favorite, and it seems to cure so many ills, Praying for the Colonel to feel better, and I know the soup and your TLC, will work miracles, Lois! ~smile~.
    Love the snow pictures, enjoy!
    Hugs,
    Sue

    Reply

  13. Julie Harward says

    I LOVE chicken soup when it's cold, love your snow, we still have none! Hope the hub gets better, stay warm and cozy! 😀

    Reply

  14. Christine says

    the couch seems to be the best place to stay but the pictures of the snow are beautiful!
    Hope the Colonel recovers soon.
    Thanks so much for visiting and encouraging me!
    Best wishes
    Christine

    Reply

  15. Maple Lane says

    I'm sorry your husband is sick. This hearty soup will be very soothing to his sore throat. We are having heavy rain and thunder in GA today and this soup would be great.

    I love your snow pics. Glad you can stay in and enjoy the view.

    Reply

  16. Marti says

    Hope the colonel feels better soon. Chicken soup certainly will help. Have a good weekend watching it snow.

    Reply

  17. Linda says

    Sorry the Colonel is sick...but I am sure he will soon be good as new with you nursing him back to health!

    Reply

  18. Liz says

    YUMMO...from your sister!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Chicken Soup with Macaroni | Walking on Sunshine Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Should you cook pasta before adding to soup? ›

To ensure you get it just right, make sure the soup is nearly cooked before adding the pasta. Smaller pasta shapes soak up broth readily so ensure you serve the soup as soon as it's cooked. Alternatively, you could cook the pasta separately and add to the soup at the last moment.

When to add pasta to chicken soup? ›

Wait until the soup is just about finished, mix in the noodles, and simmer until the noodles are about halfway cooked. The residual heat from the soup will continue to cook the pasta. The result: delicious, perfectly cooked noodles.

How to make can chicken soup better? ›

Here are some ideas to liven up your canned soups and make them taste more like homemade: Sauté some onions and/or garlic: Low and slow is the way to go. Then deglaze the pan (a splash of wine will unstick all those caramelized yummy bits on the bottom of the pan). Stir these yummies into the soup.

How much pasta do you add to soup? ›

If you're making a soup that calls for pasta, you generally only need to use approximately one-third or half of the box of dried pasta. Prepare the soup and add the dried pasta directly to it after the soup has cooked for half the time recommended in the recipe instructions.

Can you cook pasta in chicken broth? ›

Pour chicken broth over pasta and bring to a boil. 5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and parsley. Enjoy!

Is it better to cook pasta in broth or water? ›

Opting for chicken broth over water not only enhances flavor but also adds a nutritional boost to your pasta. Minerals and proteins seep into the pasta during cooking, offering a more wholesome alternative. This technique marries convenience with taste, making ordinary pasta dishes extraordinary.

How do you keep noodles from getting mushy in chicken noodle soup? ›

How do you keep noodles from getting soggy in soup? The trick is to only add the noodles when you are ready to serve the soup. If you make a large pot of soup, reserve the pasta, and add it to each portion as you reheat it, cooking it in the soup for the time recommended on the package.

Do you simmer chicken soup covered or uncovered? ›

Place chicken, carrots, celery, and onion in a large soup pot; add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until meat falls off of the bone, about 90 minutes. Skim off foam every so often, as needed.

Can I let my chicken soup simmer all day? ›

Since the chicken cooks right in the soup, it really helps to flavor the broth and make it so delicious. You can simmer the soup all day, which will give you more flavor. But if you're short on time, just a quick simmer to cook the chicken works too!

What thickens chicken soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

How to add extra flavor to chicken soup? ›

Adding a splash of acid can brighten up the flavors in your soup. Consider squeezing some fresh lemon juice or adding a splash of vinegar, such as apple cider or white wine vinegar. The acidity will help balance out the richness of the broth and add a tangy note to the overall taste.

Does chicken soup get better the longer you cook it? ›

While broth and stock both get richer and richer the longer you cook them, the problem is that the chicken meat will dry out and get tough if you let it go too long. Vegetables will also have an unpleasant texture if you overcook them, turning mushy and falling apart.

Can you add uncooked noodles to chicken soup? ›

Bring broth to a boil. Add noodles (either uncooked homemade egg noodles, or dry store-bought pasta) and cook just until noodles are al dente. If using store-bought noodles, be cautious not to overcook them! Remove pot from heat as soon as they are just barely tender.

When should cooked grain or pasta should be added to a soup? ›

It's easy to toss a bit of pasta or rice directly into the simmering soup to cook it. But the grain will soak up tons of liquid as it cooks, and even more as the soup cools. For the best results, cook grains or pasta separately, and then ladle into soup bowls.

Does pasta thicken soup? ›

Adding starchy foods like rice, potatoes, pasta, and beans can also help thicken up a soup while adding texture and body. As they cook, they release starches, creating a thicker consistency. Beans and potatoes are an especially great choice for making creamy, dairy-free vegetarian or vegan soups.

Can you put uncooked pasta in sauce? ›

By skipping the separate boiling of the pasta and instead adding the dried noodles straight to the sauce, you can make a weeknight-friendly meal in just one pot. Bonus: It makes the pasta more flavorful, too.

Do you add pasta before or after boiling? ›

Cover your pan with a lid to help bring the water up to the boil more quickly, then remove the lid once the water is boiling or reduce the temperature slightly to stop it bubbling over. Add the pasta to the water once it's boiling, never before, and cook without the lid.

What noodles hold up in soup? ›

Traditional Italian dried pasta made from semolina and wheat is the perfect match for hearty broth-based soups that are loaded vegetables, beans, or meat, like minestrone and pasta e fa*gioli. Smaller shapes, like pipettes, elbows, mini farfalle, and orzo work best.

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