Chicken noodle soup is one of the most loved warming meals for when you’re feeling a little down. But, when you’re feeling down, you don’t want to spend time cooking. Is there a way to have your favourite chicken noodle soup to hand?
Can You Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup?
Yes, you can freeze chicken noodle soup for up to 3 months. Make up the broth for the soup but without the noodles. Then, place the broth into airtight containers, remove excess air, and seal. Freeze the broth, and then cook the noodles fresh when you heat the broth up.
Do Does Chicken Noodle Soup freeze well? Sometimes
Can you refreeze Chicken Noodle Soup? No
How to Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup
Freezing chicken noodle soup is a bit counterintuitive because, well… you can’t freeze the noodles. Instead, you need to take a few steps to freeze the base of the soup and then cook the noodles fresh when you want them.
Here’s our method for freezing the base of chicken noodle soup:
- Make the Broth, Without the Noodles: When freezing chicken noodle soup, itās unwise to freeze the noodles. During the freezing and thawing process, theyāll absorb a lot of moisture and typically become too moist to hold their shape.
- Portion Into Containers: Use containers that are around the right size for the amount of soup youāll eat in one serving. The reason for this is that if you were to freeze larger portions, youād have to chop the solid soup up to thaw it out and eat it. Thatās messy, of course!
- Remove Air Where Possible: Removing the excess air from a container when freezing a liquid ensures that the liquid keeps as much of its overall flavour as possible. Remember, water-based liquids can expand. To be sure that the container doesnāt overflow or burst, leave a few centimetres of headroom above the surface of the broth.
- Freeze: Finally, label the container(s) with the contents and then pop them into the freezer for up to 3 months.
3 Tips for Freezing Chicken Noodle Soup
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing chicken noodle soup to have the best results:
Wrap the Containers
Even if the containers that youāre using are airtight and watertight, there is always a chance that they will leak. This isnāt ideal, of course, so we recommend wrapping the containers with a layer of cling film. This forms an easy, watertight barrier that can prevent your freezer from getting coated with chicken broth!
Freeze the Broth With Uncooked Noodles
Freezing the chicken noodle soup with some uncooked noodles lets you have a whole meal in one spot. You could take some dried noodles, still in the pack, and wrap them with the broth in cling film. You can then grab a package from the freezer, knowing it’s a full meal.
Add Lots of Veggies
Adding a little extra veg to the broth is a great idea, as small pieces of veg, like carrots or peas, will give the ice something to form around. This will mean that you can stave off freezer burn from the chicken for a little longer – the ice will form on the vegetables first.
How Long Can You Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup?
You can freeze chicken noodle soup for around 3 months before it starts to get freezer burned.
It will still be safe to eat at that point, but the chicken might have changed texture quite a bit thanks to freezer burn – it will be much less tender, and a lot mushier. 2 words you don’t want to use when describing chicken!
You can keep chicken noodle soup in the fridge for up to 3 days when it is stored in an airtight container or covered dish.
How Do You Defrost Chicken Noodle Soup?
You can defrost chicken noodle soup by placing the frozen broth directly into the microwave. With the microwave on high, zap the broth for thirty-second increments until itās thawed and steaming hot.
You can also thaw it slowly overnight. Pop the container of frozen broth into a bowl so that it doesn’t leak all over your fridge and then pop the dish into the fridge. It should take 12 to 18 hours to thaw completely.
Can You Refreeze Chicken Noodle Soup?
No, you canāt refreeze chicken noodle soup – it contains meat. You cannot refreeze anything that contains meat because thereās a chance that bacteria will grow on the meat itself while itās thawed.
If you were to put that contaminated meat back into the freezer, you could contaminate the rest of your food.
Does Chicken Noodle Soup Freeze Well?
Yes, chicken noodle soup does freeze well, as long as you make sure not to put the noodles into the soup.
The reason for this is that the noodles will go mushy in the freezer. Therefore, only freeze the broth, and cook the noodles from scratch while the broth thaws and heats up.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing chicken noodle soup or noodle soup in general, then these may help:
No, unfortunately, chicken noodle soup that contains any form of noodles – including egg noodles – will not freeze well. The noodles will become mushy and will disintegrate when reheating the soup.
Yes, if you have good-quality freezer bags that have a tight seal then you can freeze chicken noodle soup in them. When sealing them up, do all you can to remove excess air.
Sources
We have verified the information on this page using the following resources:
