Forgot to thaw the chicken? You can still make homemade chicken noodle soup. This recipe starts with frozen chicken breasts that cook right in the broth, so you end up with tender chicken, veggies, and noodles without waiting for anything to defrost.
Chicken Noodle Soup with Frozen Chicken & Veggies
You know that moment when you realize the chicken you were going to make for dinner is still in the freezer? Yep. It happens to me too! Thankfully, that's exactly why I have this recipe in my back pocket: for when I rush out the door before setting the chicken noodle soup in the crockpot, or I don’t have rotisserie chicken to make it. You’re going to love this shortcut.
Ingredients
This soup starts with frozen chicken breasts, which go directly into the pot without thawing. I use frozen mirepoix and frozen sliced carrots to keep prep to a minimum, plus garlic, thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf for that classic chicken soup flavor. Chicken broth makes up the base, egg noodles cook right in the soup, and a little olive oil is all you need to get this recipe on the table.
How to Make Frozen Chicken Noodle Soup
- Sauté the veggies.
Cook the frozen mirepoix and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. - Cook the frozen chicken.
Add the herbs, broth, and frozen chicken breasts directly to the pot. These need to cook for about 35 minutes. - Chop the chicken.
Take the chicken breasts out of the soup onto a board, chop them into smaller pieces, and return them to the pot. Careful, they’ll be hot. - Add the noodles and carrots.
Stir in the egg noodles and frozen carrots, bring the soup to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, until the noodles are tender. - Serve.
Remove the bay leaf and ladle the soup into bowls. Serve it with a side salad or some crusty bread.
How to Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup
Once cooled, freeze leftovers in a storage container or zip bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave it or heat it over low heat on the cooktop until warm. The latter is my preferred method because I find that the texture of the noodles holds up better when heated up slowly, since they’ll soften from freezing.
Chicken Noodle Soup with Frozen Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 ounce frozen mirepoix
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme*
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley*
- 1 leaf bay
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 2 32-ounce cartons
- 2 frozen chicken breasts, about 1 ½lbs to 2lbs
- 12 ounce frozen sliced carrots
- 2 cups egg noodles, uncooked
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the frozen mirepoix and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the dried herbs, bay leaf, broth, and frozen chicken breasts directly to the pot. Stir and bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting while keeping the soup simmering. Cover with a lid and continue cooking for 35 minutes.
- Using kitchen tongs, transfer the large pieces of chicken from the pot onto a cutting board. The cooked chicken will look white inside and out. Chop the chicken into smaller pieces and return it to the pot.
- Add the egg noodles and sliced frozen carrots to the soup and stir. Increase the heat to bring the soup back to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is tender.
- Remove the bay leaves from the pot and ladle the soup into bowls.
Notes
- 4 large carrots, sliced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
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Joanne Jensen1 says
This chicken soup with frozen chicken saved dinner last night. It turned out perfect and nobody could tell the chicken started out frozen. A winner recipe.
Cathy says
Incredible soup, and so easy since most of the ingredients came from my freezer!
Julie says
I had frozen chicken breasts and use them to make this noodle soup. So delicious!