Healing Chicken Noodle Soup – Freezer Meal Recipe
This Healing Chicken Noodle Soup is your classic comfort food, with tender chicken, fresh veggies, al dente noodles, and packed with delicious and healing herbs. Learn to prep and freeze the soup with this easy method.
I love soup season. Soups are just so easy to make and are full of delicious flavor! I love that they can be made in a big batch on the stovetop, and then you can have a nourishing meal for multiple days. The only thing I love more than how easy they are… is having soup prepped in the freezer! I am always so grateful to my past self for freezing soup for another time. It always comes in handy for a busy night or when I just don’t feel great and want something comforting.
The problem with chicken noodle soup is that the noodles just don’t freeze well. So I’ve come up with a method where you can prep and freeze for the perfect bowl of chicken noodle soup whenever you feel like it. This is a great recipe to prep freezer meals for busy weeknights, postpartum meals, or to keep a stock of healing soup when something gets sick. There’s nothing better than a homemade pot of soup when you are not feeling well, and you will be so thankful to have this soup ready to go in the freezer!
Healing ingredients in this homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe
I love packing soups with healing ingredients. It is such an easy and great way to support your body when you are not feeling well! This recipe has a few different ingredients that will help your immune system and support healing when you are feeling under the weather.
Herbs- This soup uses fresh thyme, rosemary and sage. This trio is known as a “poultry blend” because it goes so well with chicken, but they also pack a big medicinal punch. They are loaded with antioxidants, and are antiviral, antimicrobial, and antibacterial. They can help with ailments such as sore throats, respiratory infections or coughs, and sinus infections.
Garlic- Garlic is an amazing herb for sickness! It can help protect against a common cold, is anti-inflammatory, and full of healing properties such as antioxidants.
Broth – Broth, particularly bone broth, is full of incredible properties. It reduces inflammation and improves your gut health and immune health. You can read more about the benefits of bone broth here.
Is this soup gluten-free or dairy-free?
This Chicken Noodle Soup is dairy-free, as long as the noodles you are using are free from dairy. It can also be gluten-free if you use gluten-free noodles and make sure that the broth you are using is also gluten-free.
Tools to make this recipe
Large stock pot or Dutch oven– You will need a pot to prepare the filling of the soup. You could even use a really large skillet if you have one.
Storage containers – You will need some sort of containers to store the filling in the freezer with. Glass containers such as these are best, but you can also use plastic freezer bags as well.
Ingredients for Healing Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Olive oil- I use olive oil to make this soup dairy-free, or you can also use butter if you prefer.
- Vegetables- a base of carrots, celery and onion
- Garlic – lots of garlic for flavor and healing properties.
- Fresh herbs- A mix of sage, thyme and rosemary. I highly recommend using fresh herbs for maximum flavor and medicinal properties, but in a pinch, you can substitute with one teaspoon of each herb.
- Salt and black pepper – to season the soup
- Cooked chicken – you can use chicken breasts or chicken thighs, or even shred meat off of a rotisserie chicken.
- Chicken broth – Using homemade broth will not only increase the flavor, it also increases the nutrients! Get my Homemade Chicken Stock recipe here.
- Noodles – You can use whatever type of noodles you prefer including gluten-free noodles.
Method for freezing the homemade soup
The tricky thing about freezing Chicken Noodle Soup is that noodles just don’t freeze very well. When they are thawed and reheated, they can become too soft and mushy. So, instead of freezing the soup after making it, the best way to freeze the soup is before adding the noodles. You will do everything you normally do to create chicken noodle soup and then before adding the broth and noodles, you will freeze.
When you are ready to eat, you will take the frozen chicken and veggie base out of the freezer and add it to a pot with 4 cups of chicken broth (with is one container of broth) and then when it is boiling, add the noodles and cook them fresh. This method will yield four batches to freeze, with each batch having approximately 3 servings each.
How to make Chicken Noodle Soup for the freezer
Step 1: Prepare the chicken and veggies for the freezer
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Next, add in the chopped onion, celery, and carrots and sauté veggies until they are soft. About 10 minutes.
- Next, add in the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Then, add in the fresh herbs and stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. Then, add in the cooked chicken.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to divide.
Step 2: Prepare for the freezer
- When the mixture has cooled, divide it evenly into 4 freezer-safe containers. You can use freezer-safe plastic, glass containers, or freezer bags. Add them to the freezer to store. You can store this in the freezer for up to 4 months for the best quality product.
- Tip: Be sure to label the container so you know exactly what it is!
Step 3: Prepare a batch of soup
- To prepare one batch of soup, take one portion that has been frozen. Add the frozen contents to a medium pot and then add 4 cups of broth. Bring the soup to a boil and then add 1 cup of uncooked noodles. Cook for the amount of time directed on the package to cook the noodles.
- When the noodles are ready, serve immediately and enjoy!
Noodles to use in the chicken soup
One of the things I love about preparing soup this way is that you can easily change out the noodles. If you are making the soup for someone who is gluten-free you can use gluten-free noodles, or you can just switch up the shapes and sizes of the noodles if you’d like. If you would like to use gluten-free noodles I would recommend using noodles from the brand Jovial. They make pasta made from rice flour and I find it to be the best texture and flavor. You could also easily make a chicken and rice soup by adding rice to the broth instead of noodles.
How many servings does this recipe make?
The chicken and veggie base will be divided into 4 batches. Then each batch will make about 3 servings of soup. So, in total, you will get 12 servings. You could also easily double the recipe to make 8 batches to store in your freezer.
How to store the leftover soup
If you have leftover soup from making one of the batches you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat, just add to a small saucepan on the stove and heat until warmed through. Keep in mind that when you store the soup the noodles may soak up more of the broth so you might have to add a little more broth.
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Healing Chicken Noodle Soup - Freezer Prep
This Healing Chicken Noodle Soup is your classic comfort food, with tender chicken, fresh veggies, al dente noodles, and packed with delicious and healing herbs. Learn to prep and freeze the soup with this easy method.Â
Ingredients
Chicken and veggie mixture
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 carrots
- 4 celery
- 1 medium/large onion
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 4 cups cooked chicken
When cooking the soup
- 1 batch of chicken and veggie mixture, frozen
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cups dried noodles
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the chicken and veggies for the freezer
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Next, add in the chopped onion, celery, and carrots and sauté veggies until they are soft. About 10 minutes.
- Next, add in the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Then, add in the fresh herbs and stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. Then, add in the cooked chicken.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to divide.
Step 2: Prepare for the freezer
- When the mixture has cooled, divide it evenly into 4 freezer-safe containers. You can use freezer-safe plastic, glass containers, or freezer bags. Add them to the freezer to store. You can store this in the freezer for up to 4 months for the best quality product.
- Tip: Be sure to label the container so you know exactly what it is!
Step 3: Prepare a batch of soup
- To prepare one batch of soup, take one portion that has been frozen. Add the frozen contents to a medium pot and then add 4 cups of broth. Bring the soup to a boil and then add 1 cup of uncooked noodles. Cook for the amount of time directed on the package to cook the noodles.
- When the noodles are ready, serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Each batch will make three servings of soup.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 1481mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 16g
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