Nothing tastes better than homemade chicken noodle soup made from scratch on a chilly fall day.
We hadn’t had the flu in our home for quite a while, so when it hit one Sunday morning, my appetite was gone. I felt better when I ate something, but I had no desire to drink or eat anything.
My husband and children also got the bug but to a lesser degree. My headache persisted for several days, and I really wanted some healthy homemade chicken broth.
I had store-bought chicken noodle soup mix in the pantry, but after checking the label, I knew that it would not help my body fight the virus. I was better off making my own.
Thankfully, I already had defrosted some chicken bones that I had saved when we butchered our broilers last summer.
I put them into my Instapot on the slow cooker mode, and several hours later I had my delicious and nutritious chicken bone broth.
Is homemade chicken noodle soup healthy?
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Chock full of nutrients, homemade chicken broth is very healthy. has more than 19 easy-to-absorb, essential and nonessential amino acids like arginine, glycine, and proline.
It contains Magnesium, Phosphorus, Gelatin, Collagen, calcium, Potassium, and more! (source) That’s much better combat against the flu than boxed chicken noodle soup (nutritional value 0).
Healthy homemade chicken noodle soup will nourish and strengthen your body and help your immune system fight off illness.
How to make Healthy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Homemade chicken noodle soup from scratch is not difficult to make. It takes a couple of hours to cook the broth, and you need several ingredients, but the overall process is simple.
If I can do it, so can you.
You will Need:
Raw chicken bones or a whole chicken
Water
A pot big enough to hold the bones, or an Instapot
Salt
1 large chopped onion.
1 tbsp Black whole pepper
9 points of Star Anise
2 large Bay leaves
Spice Ball
Chicken Bouillion (optional)
1 tsp dried Parsley
Egg Noodles
In a large pot or Instapot, place your chicken bones. Cover approximately ⅔ with water. Add a generous tbsp of salt.
Cook this for three hours on the stovetop, or 6 hours in slow cooker mode in your Instapot. If cooking on the stovetop, bring to a boil, then turn to medium-low heat. Add water after every hour, as it will boil off.
Once the chicken bones are falling apart, your broth is done. You should err on the side of cooking it longer instead or shorter.
Sieve your broth carefully into a fresh pot. Add one large chopped onion, another tsp of salt, and bring to a boil.
Prepare your spices. Place 1 tbsp whole black pepper, 9 points of star anise (literally 9 points of a star), and 2 bay leaves into your spice ball.
Put the tightly closed spice ball into your broth. Cook for 7 minutes.
Remove spice ball. Add 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon and parsley. Pick the bones for any meat and add it to your soup for more protein.
Serve hot! Add salt as needed.
For homemade chicken noodle soup, cook some egg noodles in a separate pot, rinse well, and add to the broth. To make egg noodles, see the recipe here.
Simple, and delicious, this soup is a favorite at our house. Everyone loves it, except my husband.
The children and I all drank a cup for lunch on Tuesday after we had gotten sick, and by the time I had finished mine, my head felt much better and my nose was running.
Chicken noodle soup is great for the immune system.
Not only does it improve your immune system, but chicken broth can also improve your digestion, sleep, and skin. Need I say more?
How many calories in a homemade chicken noodle soup?
This home-made chicken broth only has about 86 calories per cup of broth. Add in the egg noodles, the calorie count jumps up to about 300 for a bowl of soup.
This is approximate because recipes differ, but it gives you an estimate.
How long does homemade chicken noodle soup last in the fridge?
Homemade chicken noodle soup will last for a week in the fridge. If you seal it in glass jars, it can last up to two weeks, but no longer than that. I always trust my nose to see if things are still fresh.
If it smells good, then we eat it. If there is even a tinge of disgustingness, we dump it.
This homemade chicken noodle soup will probably not last long in your home, so no worries about it going bad.
If you don’t have all the supplies to make this healthy soup, I promise you will not regret going to the trouble of getting them.
The biggest chore of making homemade chicken noodle soup from scratch is making the egg noodles.
I prefer to make dried egg noodles ahead of time so I have them ready when I need them.
Homemade is much healthier than canned chicken noodle soup, and the flavor does not compare. Healthy homemade chicken noodles soup is only a couple of hours away.