Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

Square overhead shot of a few bowls of easy chicken noodle soup with rotisserie chicken.

5 from 2 votes

Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

A store-bought rotisserie chicken does the slow work, so this classic chicken noodle soup comes together in one pot in about 45 minutes. Tender carrots and celery, wide egg noodles, and a broth you can season exactly the way your family likes it!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken noodle soup recipe, chicken noodle soup with rotisserie chicken, easy chicken noodle soup, rotisserie chicken noodle soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings cups

Calories 159kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (about ½ teaspoon)
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
1 bay leaf
10 cups chicken broth, plus extra to thin if necessary
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
3 cups uncooked wide egg noodles (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Soften the vegetables: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the broth and chicken: Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, broth, and shredded chicken. Bring to a boil, which takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
Simmer: Reduce the heat and gently simmer the soup, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
Cook the noodles: Stir in the egg noodles and simmer until tender but still slightly firm, about 5 minutes.
Finish and season: Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

Notes

Shred the chicken warm: One rotisserie chicken yields about 3 cups of shredded meat. Pull it off the bones while it's still warm and use both white and dark meat, but leave the skin behind.
Season at the end: Store-bought broth and rotisserie chicken are both salty. Wait until the soup has simmered, then taste and add salt a little at a time.
If it tastes flat, add acid: A tablespoon of lemon juice or a splash of white wine vinegar at the end lifts the flavor without making the soup taste sour.
Don't overcook the noodles: They keep softening in the hot broth after the pot comes off the heat, so pull them while they're still slightly firm.
Use the carcass: Simmer the picked-over bones in the broth for 20 to 30 minutes before adding the chicken for a richer base, then lift them out before the noodles go in.
Make ahead: Cook through Step 3 and stop before the noodles. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month, then reheat, add the noodles, and finish.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Cooked noodles turn mushy after freezing, so freeze the soup before the noodles go in when you can.

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