This smoked chicken noodle soup has leftover smoked chicken, vegetables, and noodles. The homemade broth is full of smoky flavor, turning a simple soup into an amazing meal.
If you love this recipe, try my Smoked Turkey and White Bean Soup next!
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Serve this soup with a side of Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits for a meal your family will love.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It has a ton of flavor from the smoked chicken.
- This recipe is easy to make.
- It's hearty and satisfying.
- This soup is packed with nutritious vegetables.
- This is an amazing soup, so much better than a chicken noodle soup mix.
- Leftover soup is delicious and makes great meal prep.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Homemade chicken bone broth. This is made with smoked whole chicken carcass or bones, onion, carrots, bay leaves, garlic cloves, water, salt and pepper. If you're looking for a shortcut, use regular chicken stock from the grocery store instead of making your own chicken broth. If I had celery, I would have added a few celery stalks as well.
- Vegetables. I used carrots, yellow onion, garlic, and spinach. However, you can toss in anything you like, even frozen vegetables.
- Chicken. I have made this soup with leftover chicken breasts, thighs, and rotisserie chicken. If you are not using smoked chicken, use ½ to 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke. It is potent stuff, so use less and add more later.
- Noodles. I used small egg noodles for soup, but you can use broken-up spaghetti, macaroni, tiny shells, fusilli, or penne. You could also use gluten-free pasta, rice noodles, rice, or barley.
- Seasonings. Ground turmeric, seasoning salt, black pepper, bay leaves, and parsley are used to season the soup.
See the printable recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make smoked chicken noodle soup
Quick overview
- Make homemade chicken broth (2-3 hours).
- Strain broth.
- Add vegetables, chicken, and seasonings to the broth.
- Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Serve.
Make the homemade broth
Step 1: Place the chicken carcass in a large soup pot or large stock pot. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaves. The vegetables can just be cut in half or quartered. Add enough water to cover the chicken by 1-2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Step 2: Skim off any foam that rises to the surface with a large spoon, and reduce the heat to a gentle boil over low heat. Simmer for 2-3 hours. The longer it simmers, the more robust the flavor will be.
Step 3: Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool until you can handle it. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Reserve the meat for the soup.
Step 4: Strain the broth into a large pot through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the solids.
Make smoked chicken soup
Step 5: Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add diced carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Step 6: Add the sauteed carrots and onion, chicken, turmeric, seasoning salt, black pepper, and bay leaves to the pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer the soup for 20-30 minutes.
Step 7: Stir in the spinach and parsley, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
Step 8: Serve the soup hot, garnished with additional parsley.
Serving suggestions
Serve this delicious soup with Irish Soda Bread Without Buttermilk, Soft Whole Wheat Bread, Soft Hamburger Buns, Quick Homemade Biscuits With No Milk, or Fluffy Air Buns.
Expert Tips
- Homemade chicken stock will give you the best flavor.
- If using liquid smoke, start out with a small amount and add more later.
- If the soup is too thick, thin it with some chicken broth.
- Thicken it with a cornstarch slurry if you want it thicker.
- Garnish with fresh herbs.
Storage
Refrigerator: Cool leftover soup to room temperature. Store it in the pot with a lid or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezer: Freeze in portion-sized containers or freezer bags for up to two months.
Reheating: Reheat the soup on the stove over medium heat until hot. If the soup was frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Additions & variations
- Swap out the smoked chicken for Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey, Traeger Smoked Spatchcock Turkey, or Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast for smoked turkey soup with smoked turkey stock.
- Add more vegetables like peas, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, or bell peppers.
- Add a can of black beans or white beans.
- Add chopped jalapeño pepper, red pepper flakes, or chili powder for a spicy kick.
- Stir in some heavy cream for a creamy version.
- Make it low-carb by using zucchini noodles.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use regular chicken. Add a small amount of liquid smoke or smoked paprika to mimic the smoky flavor.
Yes, you can make it in a slow cooker. After making the stock, add all ingredients except the noodles and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add the noodles in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Yes, you can use dried herbs. Use whatever you happen to have in your kitchen.
More soup recipes
Smoked Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Large stock pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
Homemade Chicken Broth Ingredients
- 1 smoked whole chicken carcass or smoked chicken pieces
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and quartered
- 2 large carrots roughly chopped
- 2 large celery stalks roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 8-10 cups water
Homemade Smoked Chicken Noodle Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 cups homemade chicken broth
- 2 cups smoked chicken shredded
- ½ cup egg noodles or broken spaghetti noodles
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon seasoning salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 teaspoon parsley
Instructions
- Make the smoked chicken stock: Place chicken carcass in a large stock pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover with water (1-2 inches above chicken). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off foam. Reduce heat to low, maintaining a gently boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours.1 smoked whole chicken carcass, 1 large yellow onion, 2 large carrots, 2 large celery stalks, 6 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 8-10 cups water
- Strain chicken broth: Remove the chicken, let cool, then shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large pot. Discard solids.
- Saute vegetables: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute diced carrots, onion, and garlic until soft - about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 medium carrots, 1 medium onion, 2-3 cloves garlic
- Make the soup: Add sautéed vegetables, shredded chicken, noodles, turmeric, seasoning salt, pepper, and bay leaves to the pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes.8 cups homemade chicken broth, 2 cups smoked chicken, ½ cup egg noodles or broken spaghetti noodles, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, ¾ teaspoon seasoning salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 bay leaves
- Add spinach: Add fresh spinach and parsley. Cook until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.2 cups fresh spinach, 1 teaspoon parsley
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Notes
- Homemade chicken stock will give you the best flavor.
- If using liquid smoke, start with a small amount and add more later.
- If the soup is too thick, thin it with some chicken broth.
- Thicken it with a cornstarch slurry if you want it thicker.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Melinda says
This is a delicious chicken soup, I took a shortcut and used store-bought chicken broth but next time I'll make that from scratch. Since I made this with a rotisserie chicken I also used smoked paprika to mimic the smoky taste, it was so good thanks for offering that suggestion.
DK says
Making this homemade chicken soup from scratch is definitely worth it! The smokiness and the savory flavor of this soup is just divine!
Elizabeth says
The perfect comfort food! So delicious!