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This thick and hearty Easy Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe is going to be your new favorite cozy soup recipe. So simple to toss everything in and allow the rich, flavorful chicken add all of the flavor! Comfort food at it's easiest!
Welcome to 2020!
New year, new decade, SAME me! Isn't that just the best way to do it?!
Kicking off this fresh, new year in the coziest way I know how--a simple, comforting chicken noodle soup. What better way to warm up to a brand new year, right?
If we are being honest, I am not a huge fan of chicken noodle soup. I find it to be a bit boring and bland. But go figure, it's my husband's favorite, so I had to figure out how to make one I would love.
And it had to be super duper simple. And full of hearty flavor.
I made this Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup 3 times over the course of about 2 ½ weeks. It's safe to say it is AMAZING. You will enjoy it even if you are not sick with a cold (which is the only reason I ever thought chicken noodle soup should be used for)
What's to love about this super simple recipe?
- It is so so so so simple to make. Everything gets popped into a pot or the slow cooker and it's not much more than that. Ok, so you do have to chop up some veggies, but heck, nowadays you can find soup starters in the frozen section at the grocery so that's even an option!
- You can make it stove top or in the slow cooker. Haven't tried it in the Instant Pot just yet, but you at least have a couple options for now. I prefer it in the slow cooker to give it even more time to absorb flavor, but I did not have any issue in the least with the stove top version.
- It is chunky, hearty and bursting with flavor. The reason for all the flavor is that you use rotisserie chicken that is already cooked and seasoned. I grab one at our grocery often and typically make this soup now if I have any leftover. Sometimes I pop the entire thing in. The meat literally falls right off of the bone. And it's so delicious.
Since our toddler is refusing meat a lot these days, it takes us two days to fully eat off of a rotisserie chicken. I hate seeing it go to waste if we don't get a chance to use it all up before it goes bad.
This soup has been a great way to up cycle leftovers and that makes this mama happy!
What you need to make this recipe:
- cooked rotisserie chicken: About a two pound chicken should do the trick. If yours is a bit more that's ok. I have tossed it in with ¼ of the chicken already eaten and thought it was fine as well. I throw the entire thing in, bones and all. Typically I pull of the breast meat and cut it up, but everything else I keep on the bone. If you don't want a lot of hassle with pulling bones out, you can just throw the thigh and wing bones in or something along those terms. I have done that as well when I am feeling extra lazy.
- chicken broth: technically you could use water since you are almost making your own bone broth. But I am not one to ever say no to more flavor so I opted for broth instead.
- celery
- carrots: whatever this recipe says, know that I almost always double the amount. I am a sucker for broth soaked carrots. I pick them out all the time for myself. Like the person who picks out the cookie chunks in the cookie dough ice cream, only very very very different actually.
- onion: I use a yellow onion.
- seasonings: I use a combo of thyme, parsley and oregano. This hits the nail for me. The rotisserie chicken we usually get doesn't have too crazy of seasoning so this is the right balance.
- bay leaf: If we are being transparent, I always add a bay leaf to my soup but also don't know a thing about them.
- corn starch: one of the main reasons I think I have never liked Chicken Noodle Soup that much is because I am not super big on broth. I find it to be too thin. The addition of some corn starch adds a nice thickness to the broth.
- pasta: I use rotini, regular pasta. I have not tried this recipe with any other aside from regular and whole wheat. If you are using another type, such as a rice pasta or another gluten free option, you will probably be better off cooking the pasta separately and then adding it to the soup. I am not certain of the cook times of those pastas either.
Notes and Pro-Tips:
- Biggest thing for this soup: DO NOT OVERCOOK THE PASTA. You can add pre-cooked pasta to the soup if you desire instead of adding it in dry. You do NOT want to overcook the pasta or it will disintegrate or become very mushy. Make sure you are adding dry pasta very close to the time you plan to serve the rotisserie chicken noodle soup.
- Be careful when eating this chicken noodle soup as there may be a few stray bones from the chicken. If you are feeding the kiddos, check their soup before serving. The bones can be a slight nuisance, but the rich and delicious flavor you get makes it so worth it to me.
- This soup is pretty thick, even with 12 cups of broth since some gets absorbed into the pasta. Have some extra on stand-by if you want to thin it out a little.
- Need something delicious to pair this rotisserie chicken noodle soup with? Try this Havarti Grilled Cheese with Avocado and Baby Arugula. My personal FAVORITE!
Try these other soup recipes:
- WHITE BEAN, KALE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
- CHUNKY ITALIAN VEGETABLE SOUP
- SLOW COOKER CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP
- BLACK BEAN AND RICE SOUP
- MAPLE ROASTED SWEET POTATO CARROT SOUP
- SLOW COOKER SWEET POTATO CHILI
- PUMPKIN QUINOA CHILI
- TOMATO TORTELLINI SOUP
DID YOU MAKE ONE OF MY RECIPES? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! I ALSO LOVE TO SEE YOUR LEMONS + ZEST RECIPES ON SOCIAL MEDIA–TAG ME @LEMONSANDZEST ON INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK!
Easy Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
This thick and hearty Easy Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe is going to be your new favorite cozy soup recipe. So simple to toss everything in and allow the rich, flavorful chicken add all of the flavor! Comfort food at it's easiest!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 316kcal
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken (fully cooked, 2-2 ½ pounds) (still on bone)
- 12 c chicken broth
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 4-5 carrots, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 c dry pasta
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon parsley (dried)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ c corn starch (can use arrow root powder)
- 1 tsp cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 T olive oil (for stove top)
Instructions
For Stove Top:
- Chop vegetables. Pull off the chicken breast meat and shred if desired. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot. Add celery, carrots and onion and saute until onions become translucent. Add in broth, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, oregano, parsley, and chicken (including the whole chicken carcass.)
- Turn heat to medium low and allow soup to come to a low boil for about 30 minutes or until carrots are fully softened. At this time, it is easiest to remove the chicken bones (I use a set of tongs to get the pieces of it out.
- When bones are removed, add in dry pasta and allow to cook for about 15 minutes, until al dente. Pour about 1 ½-2 cups of the soup into a small bowl and whisk in the corn starch until dissolved. Add this mixture back into the soup and stir to fully combine.
- Enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
For Slow Cooker:
- Add all ingredients into the slow cooker except the pasta and the corn starch.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Remove the bones before adding the pasta. Add dry pasta and allow to cook until al dente, about 15-20 minutes (this will vary based on your crock pot and the type of pasta, so keep an eye on it.)
- Pour about 1 ½ - 2 cups of the soup into a small bowl and whisk in the corn starch until dissolved. Add this mixture back into the soup and stir to fully combine.
- Enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Biggest thing for this soup: DO NOT OVERCOOK THE PASTA. You can add pre-cooked pasta to the soup if you desire instead of adding it in dry. You do NOT want to overcook the pasta or it will disintegrate or become very mushy. Make sure you are adding dry pasta very close to the time you plan to serve the rotisserie chicken noodle soup.
- Be careful when eating this chicken noodle soup as there may be a few stray bones from the chicken. If you are feeding the kiddos, check their soup before serving. The bones can be a slight nuisance, but the rich and delicious flavor you get makes it so worth it to me.
- This soup is pretty thick, even with 12 cups of broth since some gets absorbed into the pasta. Have some extra on stand-by if you want to thin it out a little.
Nutrition
Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 663mg | Potassium: 801mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5125IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!
Savannah says
This was delicious! So much flavor and so easy to make!
Lorie says
Yay! So glad you loved it; one of our FAVES.
Leslie Hinton says
FULL DISCLOSURE: I was low on some of the required seasonings, so I substituted a premade Chicken Grilling Seasoning that included the thyme, garlic, and parsley as well as a touch of lemon and orange. I also added frozen peas, as I was looking to pack as many veggies in the soup as possible. I added some BETTERTHANBOULLION to deepen the chicken flavor as I was using only rotisserie chicken breast- and not the bones and carcass as listed in the recipe. IT TURNED OUT BEAUTIFULLY- and I'm not really a fan of soup in general. As a newbie cook, I find a lot of blogger recipes to be underwhelming, but the directions were clear, and I really appreciated the PRO TIPS. I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes. THANK YOU!
Lorie says
Hi Leslie! We got hit by a nasty stomach bug so sorry for the delay in responding. So so happy to hear this. I love the tips for anyone not throwing the whole chicken in—-great to know!!!
Stephanie says
I’m giving it five stars before it’s done cooking! The smell and small tastes I’ve tried, omg yum! Thank you god this recipe ❤️🙏
Lorie says
Eek!!! I love this so much Stephanie!!! Just made it this week and feel the same way.
Stephanie says
❤️❤️❤️
David J says
Best Chicken noodle soup I have ever had. Easy to make and full of substance and flavor. I recommend using wide egg noodles.
Lorie says
Great to hear this David! Definitely using egg noodles next time!
Bridget says
This is a follow-up to my earlier question about the garlic powder. Thank you for your quick reply btw. I made the soup this weekend and it was fantastic! I made it with orzo, and I thought it was a good choice. I bought 2 rotisserie chickens because they looked kind of small. I used 2 cups of the white breast meat in the soup and froze the rest of the white meat. I put the chicken legs and wings and a few other bones in the soup (not the entire carcass) and I agree with you - it is worth it as the flavor of the broth was excellent. The only change I would do next time is cut the salt and pepper in half to start and scale up at the end if needed. I think the bones/skin that cooked with the broth added in a good amount of salt/pepper.
My husband, who is not a huge soup person, asked for a second helping - so you know it turned out great.
This made for a perfect meal tonight as our high temps this weekend in Minnesota hovered between -5 and 0 degrees. Having a hot bowl of soup tonight was perfect for our cold MN weekend. Thank you.
Lorie says
Bridget, good to note on the salting. Some rotisserie chickens can be a bit salty. Also, my hubby is the same when it comes to this soup. So happy you both enjoyed it! Thanks again for all the excellent info!
Bridget says
Your ingredient list calls out garlic powder, but you do not mention the garlic powder in the recipe directions. Do you add it? Perhaps the garlic powder listed should be thyme? If you could clarify when you have a minute. All of your recipes I have tried have been perfect and spot-on, so I want to make this as you intend. Thank you!
Lorie says
Hi Bridget! Good catch—I have made this recipe 3 times this season and didn’t catch that. Yes, the garlic is added in with the seasoning and herbs. I will adjust it now. Thanks so much for letting me know of the issue!!
Aimee says
This was delicious! Perfect for a winter's day!
Lorie says
Amen to that! It has been freezing here lately!
Aimee says
This was delicious! Perfect for a winter's day!
Lorie says
Agree! One of our favorites!!
Kat says
I can't wait to try this recipe.
I found when making chicken noodle soup, I cook my pasta separately season it and keep it on the side.
Grab a nice spoonful, put it in a bowl and pour the hot soup right over the top. (A little butter or oil in the pot when boili g stops it from sticking together)
I like bow ties
Lorie says
That is a brilliant idea! Thanks so much. Hope you love this one as much as we do!
Amanda says
Thanks, trying this now!! I see it says that you add thyme, but I don't see it in the ingredients! How much do you use?
Lorie says
Something has been glitchy lately and deleting things ????????♀️????????♀️. I use 1/2 tsp. Hope you love it!!