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Paula Deen Chicken Noodle Soup

Paula Deen chicken noodle soup with rich golden broth, fall-off-the-bone chicken, and wide egg noodles simmered until tender. This Southern-style version builds flavor by simmering the whole chicken, then straining and finishing the soup with fresh vegetables and herbs.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken soup base
  • 1 whole chicken 3-4 pounds
  • 10 cup water
  • 4 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cup chicken broth from the 4 cups total
  • 5 carrots sliced; use half first, half later
  • 5 celery with leaves sliced; use half first, half later
  • 1 onion large, diced; use half first, half later
  • 4 clove garlic minced; added after straining
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter added when finishing soup
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt use 1 teaspoon during first simmer; then season to taste later
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste (start small, then season generously at the end)
Noodles and finishing
  • 12 oz wide egg noodles wide, for a hearty bite
  • 1 fresh parsley for garnish chopped or leaves, for topping

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Simmer the whole chicken
  1. Place whole chicken in a very large pot with 10 cups water, 2 cups broth, half the carrots, half the celery, half the onion, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then skim foam.
  2. Simmer for 45 minutes until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. Keep the soup at a steady simmer so the broth stays clear and flavorful.
Shred and strain
  1. Remove the chicken, shred all meat, and discard skin, bones, and used vegetables. Set shredded chicken aside for finishing.
  2. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and return it to the pot. Discard solids so the soup stays smooth.
Build the finished soup
  1. Add remaining broth, butter, and the remaining carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the strained broth. Simmer for 10 minutes to soften vegetables and mellow the garlic.
  2. Stir in shredded chicken, dried thyme, and dried parsley. Simmer briefly until heated through.
Cook noodles and season
  1. Add wide egg noodles and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender. Stir occasionally so the noodles don’t clump.
  2. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste, then turn off the heat. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Notes

For best texture, shred the chicken while it’s warm and return it to the pot only after vegetables have simmered 10 minutes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze soup (without adding extra fresh noodles) up to 3 months and reheat gently. For a lighter option, use reduced-sodium broth and swap half the butter for olive oil while keeping the simmer time the same.