Homemade Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup is loaded with carrots, kale and gluten free brown rice noodles. This gluten free soup is so quick and easy to make. You won't ever miss the regular noodles!
Why I make Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup
Whenever I hear that someone is sick, I immediately want to make them chicken soup. It's what I have always eaten when not feeling well for as early as I can remember.
When I found out one of my neighbors was under the weather, a hearty bowl of chicken soup was in order. My friend follows a gluten free diet, and this Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup was a perfect choice and so easy to make.
I was a little short on time so I took some help from Trader Joe's and went with their stock instead of making my own. While homemade broth or stock is always the best, Trader Joe's makes a darn good prepared one that was the perfect stand-in for this gluten free soup.
Ingredients Needed for Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Stock – Use homemade if you have it but storebought stock saves time and tastes great.
- Carrots – Peel and chop the carrots into bites sized rounds or cubes. The key is to cut evensized pieces for even cooking.
- Chicken – I prefer to use chicken tenders cut into bite size pieces but you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs or leftover chicken from baked bone in chicken breast. I also make boiled chicken legs often and use the meat in this soup.
- Kale – I used chopped baby kale. You could also use spinach.
- Parsley – A small amount of dried parsley adds flavor and a nice contrast in colors.
- Gluten Free Pasta - I cooked brown rice fusseli noodles according to the package instructions.
- Salt and Pepper – Season the gluten free soup to taste.
Steps To Making Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
This soup is easy-peasy to make. I used different colored carrots and baby kale for vegetables but you could vary it to what you have on hand. Celery, onions and peas all would work well. I like to cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup at the last minute. If there are leftovers stored in the refrigerator, it is best to not add the noodles until you are ready to eat it.
- Pour stock into a medium size sauce pan over medium high heat.
- Stirr in the carrots and the raw chicken and bring the stock to a boil. Add the chopped kale.
- Simmer the soup for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked and carrots are tender.
- Stir in the cooked noodles.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup is pure comfort food even if you are not sick. And the best part is that it can be on the table in under 20 minutes.
Chicken Soup Cooking Tips
- Always read labels to make sure each ingredient is gluten free.
- Chop or slice the carrots to an even thickness so they cook evenly.
- Cut carrots at least ¼ inch thick to prevent them from becoming soggy.
- Remove kale leaves from the stems before chopping.
- Make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through. The chicken sould be cooked to 165 degrees F.
- Easily halve or double the recipe as needed.
- Like creamy soup? Replace 1-2 cups of stock with milk.
Storing and Reheating Gluten Free Soup
- In the fridge, your soup will last 3 to 4 days.
- If you want to store it in the freezer for extra longevity, it will be good for up to 6 months. If you freeze it, leave out the noodles and make them when reheating the soup.
- From the refrigerator, you could either microwave your soup or place it back into a pot and heat through.
- If your soup is frozen, you have a few options. First, you could allow it to sit in the fridge for a day or two in order to properly thaw, then follow the same instructions listed above.
- If you’re in a rush and need the soup to thaw in a pinch, you could place it in a warm water bath in its container.
- Finally, you could remove the frozen soup from the container and pop it right into the pot and heat until it’s heated all the way through.
FAQs
Absolutely! It’s so easy to make a double or even triple batch of this (if you’ve got a big enough pot) then refrigerate or freeze the extra to reheat during a busy night or for a dinner when you don’t have the energy to cook!
It’s important to look at the “best by” date, but also pay attention to the color. Your chicken should be a nice, healthy pink hue.
For the amount of chicken, this recipe calls for tenders, so it’s best to buy only as much as you’ll need for your chicken noodle soup. If you have to buy more but don’t plan on using the excess chicken right away, you can store it in the freezer for up to nine months.
If you’re storing chicken in the fridge, you should try to use it within 1 to 2 days.
Look for kale leaves that are a rich, dark green and have a bit of a crisp texture to them. If they’re in a bag and you can’t feel the leaves, try to ensure that the color is uniform and none of the leaves look slimy or wilted.
Kale that is packaged typically lasts for 3-4 days, so long as you don’t wash it before you store it.
Consider rinsing/washing your kale leaves to be certain there’s no excess dirt or other grime left behind.
The best carrots will be plump and have a vibrant orange color. Their surface should be smooth and free of any cracks.
Try to avoid carrots that have strings dangling from their bottoms (but if these are your only option you could cut them off).
If you can, look for carrots that are in bunches (that still have the leaves at the top). You can use the leaf color to determine the age of the carrots–a faded green or yellow means they might be too old.
Carrots will last several weeks in the fridge but will start to lose flavor and nutritional value, so try to use or eat them within a week of buying.
I used the brown rice pasta fusilli from Trader Joe's. It is really good and there were no issues with the texture. You can use your favorite gluten free pasta or replace the pasta with cooked rice, zucchini noodles or noodles made from chickpeas or other gluten free sources.
Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup Variations
- While the rice noodles I suggest are delicious and gluten-free, you could use any kind of noodle you want if gluten isn't something you're avoiding in your diet! The shape is up to personal preference; if you're serving this to kids, something like bowties might be a fun way to switch things up!
- Add even more vegetables to up the health factor. Broccoli, peppers, potatoes, spinach, celery, tomatoes and whatever else you can think of! You can never have too many vegetables in this soup.
- Top this soup with something crunchy to add to the soup's texture. Gluten-free croutons or crackers, or any kind of chips would be a delicious addition.
Serving Suggestions
Both sandwiches and salad go great with this soup so here are some suggestions.
- Spinach Salad Recipe with Grapes, Blue Cheese And Almonds
- Garbanzo Beans and Beet Salad
- Cranberry, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad
More Gluten-Free Soup Recipes
- Cabbage and Beef Soup
- Yellow Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Tuscan Bean Soup by Krazy Kitchen Mom
If you like this gluten-free chicken noodle soup recipe, please give it a 5-star rating below!
Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 32 ounces chicken stock
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 chicken tenders cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup baby kale chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 cups cooked rice noodles cooked according to package instructions
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place stock In a medium size sauce pan and cook on medium high heat.
- Add carrots and chicken. Bring to a boil then adjust heat to low. Add kale. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked and carrots are tender.
- Add parsley and noodles.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
First Published January 2017; Updated October 2020
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Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
Chicken noodle soup is one of our favorite meals on a cold Winter night. This looks great!
Liz
Welcome back to blogging!! Your soup looks marvelous! I've never bought TJ's chicken stock but will definitely add it to my shopping list. I'd love to try their brown rice pasta, too.
Barbara Schieving
I haven't tried brown rice pasta. I'll have to look for it.
Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry
I love how easy this is! I have to get over to TJ's soon and stock up! (get it? LOL)
Juliana
Nothing beats chicken soup...I yet have to try the brown rice pasta from TJ...sounds interesting...
Have a great week Lisa 🙂
Jessie
I am making this one this weekend!!! I love chicken noodle soup and then I will have some lunches for the week too! Thank you for this one it looks and sounds amazing.
Suzy
Chicken noodle soup
Is definitely the perfect comfort food! Loved that this was gluten free!
Jacqueline Meldrum
I sometimes add noodles to soup too, but I've never tried rice noodles. I'll have to look out for them.
lisa
They are good! Just make sure not to overcook.
Nkechi Ajaeroh
Oh, wow! Just what I need for this colder weather! I never used brown rice pasta; gotta check that out as well!
I love your tips about how to buy the best chicken; thanks for sharing.
lisa
The brown rice pasta is really good!
Julia
Chicken noodle soup is the best thing when sick. Your version sounds delicious!
lisa
It definitely is!