Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup

This savory Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup is gluten free and made from scratch. It's a comforting old fashioned healthy one pot recipe!

Chicken Noodle Soup one of those classic recipes that every home cook must have on hand. It's a timeless dish that most of us can remember our Grandma cooking a batch of on the stove top at some point during our childhood.

It's a humble dish made with simple ingredients and is completely full of nostalgia. There's no need to make any drastic alterations because the original is basically perfect.

This version is made with gluten free noodles in a Dutch oven on the stove top and prepared with lots of savory elements like garlic, onions, chicken broth, and fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary.

It's made in one pot, making for an easy dish that you can enjoy all thoughout the colder months! There's nothing better than a big pot of chicken noodle simmering away on the stove top when the snow starts to fall.

Jump to:

• How To Add Flavor To Chicken Noodle Soup
• Ingredients For Chicken Noodle Soup
• Sauté The Chicken In Dutch Oven
• How To Make Chicken Soup From Scratch
• Return The Chicken To The Dutch Oven
• How Long Does Homemade Soup Take To Cook?
• Shred The Cooked Chicken
• Should The Noodles Be Cooked Separately?
• Is Chicken Noodle Soup Gluten Free?
• What To Serve With Homemade Chicken Soup
• How Long Does This Soup Last?
• Can It Be Frozen?
• Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup

How To Add Flavor To Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a classic Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup based on the one I can remember my Grandma making in her old pressure cooker on the stove top when I was a kid.

There's nothing fancy about it and, like many chicken soup recipes, has remained unchanged throughout the years.

I love to flavor soups like this one with savory ingredients like garlic, onions, celery, a good quality broth, and fresh herbs. This version is made with thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves, along with a bouillon cube for extra flavor.

Using bone-in cuts of chicken gives the broth extra flavor, better texture, and provides more nutrients to the soup. You can use chicken breasts, thighs, or a combo of both. Chicken thighs do contain more fat, which means more flavor.

Carrots are added for sweetness and color.

Ingredients For Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion (white or yellow)
• 3 stalks Celery
• 4-5 large Carrots (4-5 cups)
• 2 - 2.5 lbs. Bone-In Chicken Breasts or Thighs (or combo of both)
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
• ½ tsp. Pepper
• 7 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 Gluten Free Chicken Bouillon Cube (or regular chicken bouillon cube if not gluten free)
• 4 sprigs Fresh Thyme (can sub ½ tsp. dried thyme)
• 1-2 sprigs Fresh Rosemary (can sub ½ tsp. dried rosemary)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 2 cups Gluten Free Noodles (or regular noodles if not gluten free)

Sauté The Chicken In Dutch Oven

Making soup from scratch may seem like a complicated process, but I assure you it's totally doable and SO much better than the canned version!

There are many terrific canned and bottled products available for purchase online or at the store these days, but there is no substituting for a big pot of homemade soup.

This recipe uses 2 - 2.5 lbs. of bone-in chicken breasts with rib meat, but you can sub bone-in chicken thighs, or opt for a combo of the two.

The skin is removed from the chicken and the chicken is then sautéed with some olive oil, which helps to sear it and render out some of the fat.

The aromatics are then sautéed in that fat, providing the soup with a great base of flavor.

1. Start by mincing 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (white or yellow work best).
2. Dice 3 large stalks of celery.
3. Wash and peel (if desired) 4-5 large carrots. Chop the carrots, making sure all of the slices are relatively uniform in size to ensure even cooking.
4. Remove the skin from the bone-in chicken and discard.
5. Heat a cast iron Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed soup pot to medium-high and add 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
6. Once heated, place the chicken in the pot (fleshy side down) and sprinkle with ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
7. Flip the chicken over and sprinkle with another ¼ tsp. kosher salt and pepper. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove the chicken from the soup pot and set aside.

How To Make Chicken Soup From Scratch

Once the chicken has seared and some of the fat is rendered out of it, the minced aromatics are added to the pot.

1. Add the minced garlic, onions, and celery to the soup pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
2. After the aromatics have softened a bit and become fragrant, add the chopped carrots (4-5 cups) to the pot, along with another ½ tsp. kosher salt.
3. Sauté the carrots for 5-6 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring often.

These ingredients help to provide a 'base' for the soup. Sautéing the carrots first helps to bring out their natural sweetness and allows them to cook more quickly in the broth.

It's easy to think that making soup from scratch takes hours, but following some basic, simple steps results in a dish that tastes like it's been cooking all day long, but is actually ready in about an hour.

Return The Chicken To The Dutch Oven

After the carrots and aromatics have sautéed and softened slightly, it's time to return the seared chicken to the Dutch oven.

1. Place the seared chicken on top of the sautéed carrots.
2. Pour 7 cups of low-sodium chicken broth on top of the chicken and veggies, stirring to make sure everything is combined.

It's important to use a low-sodium brand of chicken broth when making soup. Chicken broth generally contains high levels of sodium and opting for a low-sodium version helps to keep it in check.

You can always add salt to a dish, but cannot remove it once in there.

How Long Does Homemade Soup Take To Cook?

Once the broth is added, this dish starts to become a 'soup'.

1. To the broth, add 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, and 2 bay leaves.
2. Add 1 gluten free chicken bouillon cube (or regular chicken bouillon cube if not gluten free).
3. Bring the soup to a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce to a low boil, cover, and cook for 25 minutes, or until the carrots have softened and the chicken is totally cooked through.

A Few Things

• If you cannot find fresh herbs, feel free to substitute ½ tsp. dried thyme for fresh thyme and ½ tsp. dried rosemary for fresh rosemary. Alternately, you can use 1 tsp. Italian seasoning in place of the fresh herbs.
• Feel free to use dried or fresh bay leaves.
• You can sub or add any fresh herbs to the ones listed. Parsley, tarragon, and chives are all great options.

Shred The Cooked Chicken

After the Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup has been cooking on a low boil for 25-30 minutes, it's time to remove the chicken from the pot, shred it, and then return to the soup right before it's ready to serve.

1. Once the carrots are softened and the chicken is cooked through, remove the chicken from the pot and place on a cutting board.
2. Allow the chicken to cool for a few minutes, and then shred it using two forks.
3. Separate the cooked chicken from the bones. Discard the bones and set the shredded chicken aside until ready to return to the soup.

The process of shredding the chicken is the same whether you are using chicken breasts or thighs. Chicken breasts may yield more meat than chicken thighs, but either works just fine.

Should The Noodles Be Cooked Separately?

The great thing about this recipe is that the noodles are added to the soup and cooked right in the pot.

There is no need to cook them separately.

1. Once the chicken has been removed for shredding, add 2 cups of gluten free noodles to the soup.
2. Cook on a low boil for 15 minutes or so, or until the noodles are totally softened.
3. Once the noodles are cooked, return the shredded chicken to the pot.
4. Remove the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprigs and discard.

It's important to add the noodles near the end of the cooking time, or they will overcook and become soggy.

Once the noodles are fully cooked, the soup is ready to serve.

Is Chicken Noodle Soup Gluten Free?

Traditional chicken noodle soup recipes are not gluten free, as they usually contain noodles made from wheat.

This version is gluten free and uses both gluten free noodles and a gluten free bouillon cube (bouillon cubes are generally not gluten free).

I recommend a high-quality brand of short gluten free pasta such as spirals, elbows, or penne.

My favorite brands brands of short gluten free pasta include the spirals made by Tinkyada (the brand used when making this recipe) or any variety from Barilla.

These brands may be found in the gluten free section of your local grocery store or purchased online.

Feel free to use any variety of short pasta if gluten is not an issue for you.

What To Serve With Homemade Chicken Soup

This homemade soup is thick and hearty. It has lots of carrots, big chunks of chicken, and just the right amount of noodles.

It can be served on its own, or with some warm, crusty bread or garlic bread.

You can serve alongside some crackers, homemade biscuits, or savory scones if you like.

I love Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup paired with a sandwich or panini like this Italian Grilled Cheese, turkey Rachel, corned beef Reuben, chipotle Chicken panini, or Gouda chicken grilled cheese.

Looking for more soup recipes? Don't miss these!

• White Bean Kale Soup
• Root Vegetable Soup
• Lentil Kale Sausage Soup
• Vegetable Noodle Soup
• Harvest Vegetable Soup
• Hearty Lentil Soup
• Butternut Squash Sausage Soup
• Turkey Wild Rice Soup

How Long Does This Soup Last?

Any leftover soup should last 3-4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Be sure to allow the soup to cool completely before transferring to the fridge for storage.

Keep in mind that the noodles will become a bit mushy the longer the soup is stored in the fridge.

Feel free to reheat this soup in the microwave or by returning it to the soup pot and heating on the stove top.

Can It Be Frozen?

Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup makes a great freezer meal, but it's best to freeze without the noodles, as they will become mushy if cooked, frozen, and thawed.

How To Freeze

1. Prepare the recipe as directed, but do not add the noodles to the soup.
2. Allow the soup to cool completely, and then transfer to a heavy-duty freezer bag.
3. Push all the air out of the bag, label with the date, and transfer to the freezer to store up to 3 months.

Feel free to cook and freeze the noodles separately. Alternately, you can cook the noodles right before cooking the thawed soup.

How To Reheat

1. Transfer the frozen soup to the fridge 24 hours before serving and allow to thaw.
2. Place the thawed soup in a pot and cook on the stove top until thoroughly heated.
3. Add the cooked noodles at this time.

Love chicken soups? Check out these recipes!

• Crockpot Chicken Potato Soup
• Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Soup

Love Dutch oven recipes? Don't miss these!

• Dutch Oven Chicken and Potatoes
• Vegetable Stew with Dumplings
• Dutch Oven Pot Roast
• Braised Short Ribs
• Gluten Free Chicken Stew
• Leftover Turkey Stew

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