Description
This Easy Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup is a comforting and hearty homemade soup made with tender shredded rotisserie chicken, fresh vegetables, flavorful herbs, and tender noodles. Perfect for a cozy meal, this recipe offers two cooking methods—stovetop and slow cooker—allowing you to choose based on your convenience. The soup features a rich broth thickened slightly with corn starch for a smooth texture, making it a satisfying classic favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Broth
- 1 rotisserie chicken (fully cooked, approx. 2 1/2 pounds) (still on bone, optional)
- 12 cups chicken broth
Vegetables & Herbs
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 4-5 carrots, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cracked pepper
Pasta & Thickener
- 2 cups dry pasta
- ¼ cup corn starch (can use arrowroot powder)
For Sautéing (Stovetop method only)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Chop the celery, carrots, and dice the onion. Pull off the chicken breast meat from the rotisserie chicken and shred it if desired. Keep the chicken carcass with bones for added flavor.
- Sauté Vegetables (Stovetop only): In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped celery, carrots, and onion. Sauté until the onions become translucent to develop flavor.
- Add Broth and Seasonings (Stovetop): Pour in the chicken broth and season with sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and dried parsley. Add the shredded chicken along with the whole chicken carcass or place the bones in a cheesecloth bag to avoid small bone fragments.
- Simmer Soup (Stovetop): Turn the heat to medium and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Use tongs to remove the chicken bones carefully at this point.
- Cook Pasta (Stovetop): Add the dry pasta to the pot and cook for 10-15 minutes until al dente.
- Thicken Soup: Ladle 1 ½ to 2 cups of the hot soup into a small bowl and whisk in the corn starch until dissolved. Stir this mixture back into the pot to slightly thicken the soup and combine fully.
- Serve and Store: Serve the soup hot. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Slow Cooker Method – Combine Ingredients: Place all ingredients except the pasta and corn starch into the slow cooker.
- Cook Soup (Slow Cooker): Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Remove the bones before proceeding.
- Add Pasta (Slow Cooker): Add dry pasta to the slow cooker and cook for 15-20 minutes or until al dente, monitoring closely as timing may vary.
- Thicken Soup (Slow Cooker): Whisk corn starch into a small bowl of soup broth until dissolved, then stir into the slow cooker to thicken before serving.
- Serve and Store (Slow Cooker): Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers in airtight containers.
Notes
- You can place larger bones directly in the soup for flavor, but consider using a cheesecloth bag to contain smaller bones for easier removal.
- The type of dry pasta can be adjusted to preference; thinner pastas will cook faster.
- For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free pasta and substitute cornstarch with arrowroot powder.
- Soup thickness can be adjusted by varying the amount of cornstarch slurry added.
- Leftover soup keeps well refrigerated for 3-4 days and also freezes beautifully.
