Name: Exactly How To Reheat Chicken Noodle Soup
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 portion chicken noodle soup; 1 portion stock (or water, optional)

Table of Contents

Chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food, especially when you’re feeling down and out.

It’s also really filling, so it’s no surprise that there are sometimes leftovers.

If you’re wondering if it’s possible to warm up your chicken noodle soup without sacrificing its taste or texture, you’ve come to the right place.

How you store your soup will impact how well it reheats, so I’ll run through how to refrigerate and freeze it too.

In a rush? Here’s the short answer:

The best way to reheat chicken noodle soup is on the stove. Place your leftover chicken noodle soup in a cold pan. Next, bring it to a medium heat, stirring frequently. If your soup has thickened, add some extra stock or water to thin it out. Add any noodles to the soup a minute before serving.

A note on my experiment

Not to brag, but I make a killer chicken noodle soup.

So one Sunday, I made a huge batch and kept some in the fridge overnight, ready to reheat for lunch the next day.

Sludgy noodles are my pet peeve – I was aiming to avoid this.

The reheating techniques I tried include:

On the stove (best method overall)
In the microwave (convenient in a hurry)
In a crockpot (avoid – I explain why later)

The stovetop method wins hands down. You can reheat large portions in one go, with decent control over the temperature.

The microwave is fine in a pinch, but it only works for single portions.

Tip: When preparing chicken noodle soup, opt for egg noodles as they are less inclined to turn mushy from standing in liquid for too long.

Aim to keep the noodles and the soup separate until just before serving.

Reheating chicken noodle soup on the stove

Place your leftover chicken noodle soup in a cold pot on your stove. Heat it slowly on medium heat, stirring frequently. If your soup has thickened, add some extra stock or water to thin it out. Add any noodles to the broth a minute before serving (less if they’re freshly cooked and hot).

How to reheat chicken noodle soup on the stove:

Transfer your leftover chicken noodle soup into a cold pot.
Slowly heat it over medium heat, stirring often until hot.
If you need to add noodles, add cold ones a minute before serving and already warm ones just before serving.

If the base of your pan is very thin, stick to low heat and a longer warming time. If the pot has a heavier bottom, you can use a medium setting.

Frequent stirring prevents any of your soup components from sticking to the pot’s base and ensures it heats evenly.

Try to use a pot relative to your portion size so that your soup isn’t too spread out.

My verdict

This is the best method for reheating chicken noodle soup.

It’s easy to control how hot it gets, and you can taste the soup and add any extra seasoning if needed. I always like to add a splash of lime juice to liven it up.

You can use the stove for both large and small portions.

Reheating chicken noodle soup in the microwave

Place your leftover soup in a microwave-safe bowl. Add your noodles (if applicable) and cover the bowl with a lid or splatter guard (you can use plastic wrap or a paper towel). Heat for 1 minute and then in 30-second intervals, stirring at each stop. Serve your soup once it’s piping hot.

With this method, it’s best to reheat only a single portion at a time.

How to reheat chicken noodle soup in the microwave:

Place a single portion of chicken noodle soup in a microwave-safe bowl.
Cover the bowl with a lid or a cover to prevent splatter.
Heat your soup for 1 minute.
Stir, and then heat in further 30-second increments (stirring at each stop).
Once hot and steaming, serve immediately.

Consistent stirring ensures that your soup warms evenly.

It also prevents concentrated hot spots that may start to boil and splatter.

If you’re adding noodles, you can warm them with broth or add them towards the end of the heating process to stop them from turning too mushy.

My verdict

The microwave is super quick and very convenient for a quick lunch.

The soup comes out tasting just fine.

The only downside is you can’t heat larger portions, and it’s a bit harder to control the temperature levels.

Reheating chicken noodle soup in a crockpot

I don’t recommend reheating chicken noodle soup in a crockpot (and neither does the USDA) because it can take a long time to come up to temperature, which means it can spend too long in the danger zone where harmful bacteria can multiply.

What you can do is reheat the soup on the stove or in the microwave, and then keep it warm in your crockpot until you want to serve it.

How to store chicken noodle soup

You can store chicken noodle soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. For best results, store only the chicken soup and keep the noodles separate (or cook fresh ones when you reheat the soup). If you keep the noodles in the soup, they’ll become soggy and mushy.

If the soup is already combined, fish the noodles out before storing it. Trust me, it will be worth it!

You don’t need to cool the soup to room temperature before putting it in the fridge, but it shouldn’t be boiling hot.

To cool a big batch of soup quickly, portion it out into smaller containers or put the container into a sink full of cold water.

Can you freeze chicken noodle soup?

Chicken noodle soup broth freezes very well, but if you keep the noodles in the soup they will turn to mush. It’s best to freeze the broth and the noodles separately or just cook fresh noodles when you’re reheating the soup. The soup will last around 6 months in the freezer.

How to freeze chicken noodle soup:

Cool your soup to room temperature.
If necessary, strain your broth to remove any noodles or veggies that won’t freeze well.
Transfer your broth into freezer bags.
Remove the excess air from your freezer bags and lay them flat in your freezer (saves space).
Consume within 6 months.

You can use airtight containers in favor of freezer bags, but just pop a layer of plastic wrap over the top of your broth for extra freshness.

Cooling the soup to room temperature before freezing it ensures it freezes as fast as possible and preserves the texture of the chicken and vegetables.

To speed up the cooling process, let it chill in the fridge for half an hour.

How to reheat frozen chicken noodle soup

To reheat frozen chicken noodle soup, warm it on a very low heat on the stove until you can break up the ice lump. Once the soup has melted, you can increase the heat to medium. Alternatively, use the defrost setting on your microwave.

You can also place the soup in the fridge overnight to thaw.