Rotisserie chicken noodle soup is an easy, one pot meal that's soothing, comforting, and made with simple ingredients. Perfect for sick days, winter weather, and weeknight dinners!
This classic chicken noodle soup couldn't be easier to prepare thanks to the help of a shredded rotisserie chicken. It has a mild, soothing flavor that's perfect for sick days and cold winter weather. Plus, it's filled with nutritious ingredients like celery, carrots, onion, and chicken broth.
All you need to do is shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken, sauté your veggies in a stock pot, then add your broth, seasonings, and pasta. This chicken soup is ready in 30 minutes or less and is prepared in a single pot.
Plus, this recipe can be easily modified to be freezer friendly. Keep your favorite chicken noodle soup on hand for sick days, future quick dinners, or cold winter days when you don't feel like cooking.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Rotisserie chicken - For this recipe, you'll need one cooked rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken can be substituted with 16 ounces of any cooked, lightly seasoned, leftover chicken or turkey (great for Thanksgiving leftovers!).
- Celery, onion, and carrot - Also known as mirepoix, this combination of veggies is a staple in cooking, and adds the perfect flavor to your chicken soup.
- Pasta - I prefer orecchiette, which is a small ear-shaped pasta. They hold broth like a little bowl and fit easily on a spoon without sliding off. Any small pasta, like orzo, ditalini, or small shells, would work well. Use a thin egg noodle for a classic noodle soup experience.
- Chicken broth - Can be substituted with vegetable broth if desired. I do not recommend using a low-sodium broth for this recipe, because much of the flavor comes from the broth. If using a low-sodium broth, I recommend doubling the herbs listed to make up for the lost flavor.
- Seasoning - Thyme, basil, salt, and pepper add depth of flavor to your soup. Italian seasoning can be used in place of the thyme and basil if you keep this blend on hand.
Tips and tricks
- Chop vegetables evenly - Chop your onion, celery, and carrot into similar, bite-size pieces for even cooking and easy eating.
- Low-sodium broth reduces flavor - Salt enhances the flavors of a dish, and chicken noodle soup is no exception. If you're using a low or no sodium broth, the flavor of your soup will be reduced. To combat this, you can either add additional salt to taste, additional herbs, or even a dash of hot sauce.
- Cook pasta to al dente - Pasta shapes cook at different rates, so check your pasta's package directions and cook to al dente for best results.
Frequently asked questions
Small, short pasta shapes work best because they fit easily onto a spoon. Orecchiette (shown in the photos) are my personal favorite. Other shapes that are great for soups include ditalini, macaroni, orzo, and small or medium egg noodles.
This soup can easily be modified into a freezer friendly meal. I do not recommend freezing cooked pasta, as it can become gummy when thawed. However, your soup base - veggies, broth, seasoning, and chicken - can be frozen in an airtight, freezer safe container or bag for up to 4 to 6 months.
To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator the night beforehand. Pour into a stock pot, bring to a simmer, add your pasta, and cook to al dente. Your soup is ready to serve!
Homemade soup lasts about 3 to 5 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. If you're refrigerating leftover soup that includes pasta, it will continue to absorb liquid and get soggy the longer it sits. Soup with pasta will last 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator before degrading in quality.
My favorite side dishes include buttery stovetop biscuits, freezer garlic bread, winter chopped salad, saltine crackers, fresh fruit, or a cheese quesadilla.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 48 ounces chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces orecchiette, uncooked
- 16 ounces water, optional*
Instructions
- Separate meat from rotisserie chicken, discarding bones and skin. Chop cooked chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add chopped celery, carrot, and onion. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to lightly brown and onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add chicken broth, chopped rotisserie chicken, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer.
- Cook pasta in soup: To your soup base, add 16 ounces of water* and pasta. Bring to a simmer and cook pasta to al dente according to pasta's package directions.Cook pasta separately: Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente according to pasta's package directions. Drain, then add pasta to each bowl of soup before serving. Serve soup warm, optionally with bread, crackers, or a side salad.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Rotisserie chicken can be substituted with 16 ounces of cooked, lightly seasoned chicken.
- Homemade soup will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days without pasta, or 1 to 2 days with pasta. Pasta continues to absorb liquid as it sits and will degrade quickly.
- Cook pasta separately if you'd like to freeze remaining soup base for later (pasta does not freeze well), or to serve leftovers throughout the week (pasta will absorb broth and get soggy as it sits).
- Soup base (without pasta) can be frozen for 4 to 6 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Pour soup into a stock pot along with dry pasta, bring to a simmer, and cook pasta to al dente.
Easy, simple and tasty!!! I added two bay leaves, a tiny squeeze of lemon, a bit of heavy creamy and some garlic the second time and it was really good too! Either way recipe is such good comfort food on a cold night!
This has hit the spot on several occasions. I've looked for ideas to use rotisserie chicken before and when I came upon this recipe I had to give it a go. Easy and simple and quick, even for a guy like myself, made the wife and kids coming back for seconds. Definitely will be making it again, maybe even try with different noodles. Great recipe for sure! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thanks Steve, glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!