The Best Homemade Chicken Soup
If you’ve ever had chicken soup that felt a little… watery and boring, this is not that.
This is the kind of chicken soup that actually feels like a full meal. It’s rich, packed with flavor, and has a secret step that makes it taste like it’s been cooking all day—even if you use your Instant Pot.
And once you make your own chicken stock from scratch, you’re never going back to store-bought again.
Why This Chicken Soup is Different
Most chicken soup recipes stop at broth, chicken, and noodles.
But this one layers flavor from the very beginning—and then builds on it with one simple trick that changes everything.
- You’re making a real homemade stock
- You’re using the same vegetables twice for max flavor
- And you’re turning those veggies into a natural thickener
No flour. No cream. Just better soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Chicken Stock
- 1 whole chicken
- 2–3 celery stalks, roughly broken
- 2–3 carrots, roughly broken
- 1/2 medium onion
- 4–6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1–2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1-2 bay leaves
- Water (to max fill line)
For the Soup
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 2–3 large carrots, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8–10 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 3–4 cups dry egg noodles
How to Make Homemade Chicken Soup
Step 1: Make the Chicken Stock
- Add the whole chicken to your Instant Pot.
- Add celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and all seasonings.
- Fill with water to the max fill line.
- Cook on High Pressure for 45 minutes. *It will take about 20 minutes for the pressure to build and for it to start cooking and nother 20-30 minutes for the pressure to release at the end**
- Let pressure naturally release.
Remove the chicken and vegetables.
Strain the broth (keep the veggies—you’ll use them again).
Shred the chicken and set aside.
Step 2: Build the Flavor Base
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add celery, carrots, and onion.
- Sauté for about 3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Add Broth + Seasonings
- Pour in your homemade chicken stock.
- Add all seasonings.
- Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Step 4: The Secret Step (Don’t Skip This)
- Take the cooked vegetables from your stock.
- Blend them until completely smooth.
- Stir the mixture back into the soup.
This is what makes the soup:
- Rich
- Slightly thick
- Way more flavorful
And no one will ever know why it tastes so good.
Step 5: Cook the Noodles
- Bring soup to a boil.
- Add noodles and cook until al dente.
- Don’t overcook—they’ll continue cooking in the broth.
(Pro tip: You can cook noodles separately if you want clearer broth.)
Step 6: Add the Chicken
- Stir in shredded chicken.
- Let everything simmer together for a few minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning one last time.
Step 7: Serve
Serve hot and enjoy.
Tips for the Best Chicken Soup
- Use a whole chicken for the most flavor
- Don’t skip the blended veggie step—it’s the game changer
- Taste as you go and adjust seasoning
- Slightly undercook noodles to avoid mushy soup
FAQ
Can I make this without an Instant Pot?
Yes—just simmer everything on the stovetop for 2–3 hours. If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can use an Enameled Pot
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes! Just freeze without noodles for best texture. You can use my favorite storage solution Souper Cubes to freeze them
How long does it last in the fridge?
3–4 days in an airtight container.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those recipes that once you make it, you realize chicken soup doesn’t have to be basic.
It can actually be:
- filling
- flavorful
- and something you want to eat, not just something you eat when you’re sick
If you loved this comforting meal, try my [Garlic Herb Whole Roasted Chicken] for your next Sunday dinner!
Recipe Card
Homemade Chicken Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6–8
Instructions
- Pressure cook chicken + stock ingredients for 45 minutes.
- Strain broth, shred chicken, reserve veggies.
- Sauté fresh vegetables in butter.
- Add broth + seasonings.
- Blend reserved veggies and stir into soup.
- Add noodles and cook until al dente.
- Stir in chicken and simmer.
- Serve hot.
Chicken Noodle Soup
This homemade chicken soup is rich, flavorful, and made from scratch with a whole chicken and a secret step for the perfect texture.
Equipment
- 1 Instapot or pressure cooker
- 1 Dutch Oven or thick enameled pot
Ingredients
Chicken Stock
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 –3 celery stalks roughly broken by hand
- 2 –3 carrots roughly broken by hand
- 1/2 medium onion
- 4 –6 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 –2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Black pepper
- 1 -2 bay leaves
- Water enough to reach the max fill line of your Instant Pot
Soup
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 ribs celery very thinly sliced
- 2-3 large carrots diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1/2 cop frozen peas optional for more veggies
- 2 clove garlic minced
- 8-10 cups homemade chicken stock from previous recipe
- 1 tsp salt start with 1 then adjust to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper start with 1 then adjust to taste
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning start with 1 then adjust to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder start with 1 then adjust to taste
- 1 tsp onion powder start with 1 then adjust to taste
- 1 tsp sage start with 1 then adjust to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika start with 1 then adjust to taste
- 3 cups shredded chicken from your Instant Pot chicken
- 3-4 cups dry egg noodles We don’t like a lot of noodles in our broth so we use 3
Instructions
For the Broth
- Place the whole chicken directly into the Instant Pot. Add celery, carrots, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sage, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour in water until you reach the maximum fill line of your Instant Pot. Do not exceed this line.
- Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 45 minutes.
- Once the cook time is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for the best flavor and tenderness.
- Carefully remove the chicken and the large vegetable pieces. strain the broth but keep all of the large vegetable pieces in a bowl, we will use them for the soup recipe. Strain the broth to remove any potential bones.
- Once cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat, add additional seasoning if needed and set it aside for your soup.
For the Soup
Build the Flavor Base
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
- Add diced celery, onion and carrots and sauté for about 3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add the Broth & Seasonings
- Pour in your homemade chicken stock.
- Add all of the seasonings.
- Stir and bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- Taste your broth here and adjust salt or add more seasoning.
Thicken the Soup (My Secret Step)
- Take the cooked vegetables from your chicken stock (the large chunks you strained out earlier).
- Use a hand blender (or regular blender) to blend them until smooth.
- Stir this mixture back into the soup.
- This adds natural thickness, extra flavor, and makes the soup feel rich without adding flour or cream.
Cook the Noodles
- Bring the soup to a boil.
- Add your noodles and cook until just al dente.
- Do not overcook—the noodles will continue cooking in the hot broth.
- ** you can also cook the noodles in another pot first then just add the cooked noodles to the soup**
Add the Chicken
- Stir in your shredded chicken.
- Let everything simmer together for a few minutes so the flavors combine.
- Taste one last time and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Notes & Tips
- This soup gets even better the next day.
- If storing, keep noodles separate if possible to avoid them soaking up all the broth.
- Add a squeeze of lemon at the end if you want to brighten the flavor.
- The blended vegetable step is what makes this soup next-level—don’t skip it.
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