Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup

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Gluten-free chicken noodle soup is our go-to comfort food for cold weather months. This soup features an easy, homey chicken broth loaded with herbs and aromatics, juicy chicken thighs, and tender gluten-free noodles.

We love this chicken noodle soup recipe because it is so quick and easy to make. It’s insanely flavorful. And it’s so heartwarming, it’s like a cozy hug from mom.

Bowl of gluten-free chicken noodle soup.

Speaking of mom…she’s the one who first threw this soup recipe together almost 14 years ago. When I was in my junior year of college I got insanely sick in the middle of midterms. My mom drove 8 hours to Austin to peel my sick self off of the bathroom floor and into bed with a bowl of the most delicious homemade chicken noodle soup I’d ever had. And she made it with minimalist college kid ingredients (hello, frozen mixed veggies). But the secret was all in the seasoning! The secret ingredients: poultry seasoning and a pinch of love. 🙂

This soup basically brought me back to life. It perked me up enough to crush some engineering finals without feeling like death warmed over. And now this soup is a reliable staple for when I’m sick or run down, or because it’s winter and cold out, or just because I want something yummy, easy, and nourishing that feels like home.

I’ve leveled up mom’s soup a little with fresh veggies (sorry mom, frozen just ain’t gonna cut it), chicken thighs, chicken broth instead of bullion cubes, and gluten-free noodles. But the heart of this soup remains unchanged. And it will always feel like a little piece of home.♥️

Ingredients

Chicken thighs (or breast) – we love to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe for extra juicy and tender chicken. However, chicken breast is also a great substitute.
Gluten-free pasta – we prefer to use gluten-free egg noodles, but feel free to use your favorite gluten-free pasta. Fresh noodles add some extra goodness to this soup. Not a gluten-free person. No problem. Just sub in your favorite regular pasta.
Low sodium chicken broth – for tons of baseline chicken flavor without too much sodium.
Aromatics – garlic, onion, carrots, and celery form the robust base for the soup.
Seasonings – this soup is loaded with tons of flavorful dried herbs, seasonings, and spices, like basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme, chives, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Swap in your favorite green herbs too, like oregano, Italian seasoning, or marjoram, to season to your tastes!
Extra virgin olive oil – for sauteing the mirepoix.

Tips for Making Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup

Cook the broth and noodles separately – one of the biggest problems with making chicken noodle soup is that the noodles absorb a ton of the liquid while they cook. The end result is often bloated and mushy noodles (especially when stored and reheated) and a reduction in the amount of broth. We fix this issue by cooking the noodles in a separate pot, then draining and adding them to individual bowls of broth when serving. You can then store any leftover broth and noodles separately. No bloated, soggy noodles. No loss in broth. Reheats perfectly. Everyone is happy. 🙂
Cook the chicken in the broth – one of the best tips we’ve learned over the years is to use the hot broth to cook the chicken. We’ve always cooked the chicken first, then kept it in the pot while the broth simmers. And the result has always been dry, rubbery chicken. Now we simmer the broth and once it’s hot we add the raw chicken and allow the broth to cook it to tender perfection. No more rubbery chicken! Just ensure that the broth is simmering when you add the chicken to ensure that it is cooked at a safe temperature (165F) . As an extra precaution, you can use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F when you pull it out to shred. If this just isn’t your style, cook the chicken separately and add just before serving to avoid overcooked chicken instead.
Don’t skimp on the aromatics and seasonings – we love sauteing a good hearty mirepoix in olive oil to form the aromatic base for our soups. The holy trinity of onion, carrots, and celery give so much flavor to soup, so don’t skimp on them (even if you hate celery. Guys, I get it. Same.). And the same goes for your herbs and seasonings. This soup is loaded up with dried herbs (rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme, chives) and seasonings and spices (poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper) to give the broth a ton of depth and delicious, rich flavor. For the love of all that is holy, do not get stingy with the seasonings! If you don’t have all of the spices on hand, sub in something else. You cannot go wrong with the green herbs. Try out basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, rosemary, parsley, thyme, chives, tarragon, marjoram, coriander…anything will do!
Use fresh noodles (if you can!) – this last tip is a bit of a stretch, I know, because…life. But if you can, use fresh noodles to take this soup the next dimension. Making your own gluten-free egg noodles is actually really doable! Or check out your local grocery store fresh pasta section and see what options they have there. Taste Republic (not sponsored) is a great brand with tons of gluten-free options to try.

How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat. Once warm, add the garlic, onion, carrots, and celery and saute 7 to 8 minutes, or until the carrots just begin to soften. Season with salt, basil, rosemary, poultry seasoning, parsley, thyme, chives, and black pepper. Cook another 1 minute.

Add the broth to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Place the chicken in the broth, making sure it is fully submerged. Cook 18 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Using tongs, carefully remove the chicken and transfer to a bowl. Shred the chicken with two forks and return the shredded chicken to the pot. Simmer another 3-5 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, bring a separate sauce pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions, about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside. Alternately, you can add noodles directly to the broth during the last 7 to 8 minutes of the chicken cook time. We cook the noodles separately to avoid soggy, waterlogged noodles.

Divide the noodles among bowls (if cooking separately) and ladle the soup over the noodles. Garnish with fresh herbs or Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

How to Store Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup

Refrigerate – store the noodles and broth in two separate airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Freeze – allow the soup to cool before transferring to a Ziploc freezer bag. Lay the bag flat on a freezer shelf for a few hours for it to set, then you can relocate it within the freezer. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Reheat – for refrigerated soup, reheat the broth in a large sauce pot. Reheat the noodles in the microwave for 1 minute, or make fresh noodles in a separate pot. Divide the noodles and broth among bowls and serve. For frozen soup, defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight. Then warm as you would refrigerated broth. Alternately, add frozen soup to a large sauce pot and warm over the stove until defrosted and warmed. Cook noodles in a separate bowl. Divide the noodles and broth among bowls and serve.

Recipe Modifications

Chicken – this recipe calls for raw, whole chicken thighs, but you can also use cooked or leftover chicken thighs or breast as well as raw chicken breast. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time if necessary (for cooked meat).
Seasonings – swap out any of the seasonings we used with your favorites. We highly recommend using green herbs and seasonings, like oregano, basil, parsley, chives, marjoram, or Italian seasoning. Add a little heat or smokiness with paprika, chili flakes, chipotle seasoning, or Cajun seasoning.
Noodles – while we prefer gluten-free (or regular) egg noodles, feel free to use whatever gluten-free or regular pasta you like! Try mini shells, mini bowties, ditalini, or other small pasta. Use homemade, fresh, or box pasta. The possibilities are endless!
Broth – we use low sodium chicken broth because it’s less salty and we can season to our tastes. Also, we always have some on hand. You can also use chicken stock or bone broth for even more flavorful chicken noodle soup. Just be sure to adjust the seasoning accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you cook chicken before adding it to the soup?

Yes you can. Our recipe calls for adding the chicken raw to the hot, simmering broth and cooking for 18-20 minutes. This ensures that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. If you prefer to cook your chicken before adding it to the soup, then set it aside after cooking. Then add it to the soup just before serving to avoid overcooked, rubbery chicken.

Is it safe to put raw chicken in soup?

Yes, if you cook the chicken at a high enough temperature and long enough to kill harmful bacteria. We recommend adding the chicken to hot, simmering broth and cooking it the full 18-20 minutes to ensure that any bacteria is killed. You can also use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F before serving.

How do I know when chicken is cooked in soup?

The easiest way is to use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F. You can also check that the color is no longer pink at the center of the chicken thighs. For this recipe, we cook the thighs whole, then remove them from the pot and shred them before adding them back to the pot for a few minutes. This will ensure that any pieces that haven’t fully cooked will finish cooking in the broth.

What can I add to my chicken noodle soup to give it flavor?

You can saute aromatics like onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in olive oil. Also using potent herbs (like rosemary, thyme, basil and chives), spices (like salt and pepper), and seasonings (like poultry seasoning) deepens the flavor of the soup. Add dried herbs early on and simmer them slowly in the broth. Or add fresh herbs just before serving to maximize their flavor. Lastly, you can make your own bone broth or stock (or use store bought) for extra concentrated flavor. We use chicken broth (instead of stock or bone broth) simply because it is cheaper and we always have it in our pantry.

Do I have to cook my noodles separately from the broth?

Nope! It is personal preference. We have found that cooking the noodles separately from the broth keeps the noodles firm and flavorful. It prevents the noodles from becoming soggy and broken when storing and subsequently reheating soup. And it increases the amount of broth leftover since it isn’t being absorbed by the noodles.

Check out our other heartwarming soup recipes

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