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What to Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup: 13 Sides You Gotta Try

What to Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup: 13 Sides You Gotta Try

It’s comforting, perfect for colder weather days or when you’re feeling under the weather yourself. We’re talking about the iconic chicken noodle soup of course, something that’s always associated with a cozy and comforting feeling.

Perhaps it’s because chicken noodle soup has been a staple in American cuisine for ages. Or perhaps it’s because we all associate it with Mom or Grandma’s home cooking.

Whoever makes it though, it’s always a winner.

 

Simple as it is though – a light chicken broth brimming with chunks of tender chicken meat, carrots, celery, and wide egg noodles – it has all the makings of a full meal in one bowl.

While recipes vary from home to home, your chicken noodle soup can be the meal in and of itself.

Though many people want to know what to serve with chicken noodle soup simply because they’d like to round it out a little further.

We get it.

What partners with chicken noodle soup besides a big hug? Lots of things can plate up right alongside it to make it an even fuller meal.

Some people prefer hunks of crusty bread with it. Others would rather have a sandwich and make the soup the side dish. And still others love a good salad to balance it all out, giving a nice contrast between hot and cold.

Which one are you?

Not to worry though because what you pair with chicken noodle soup is entirely up to you. Though we have some tasty suggestions that will make it an even more soup-er meal.

What Goes with Chicken Noodle Soup? These Sides…You’ll Love

Make your chicken noodle soup the star of your table or keep it on the side. These 13 dishes are sure to please for whichever mood you’re in!

1. No Knead Rosemary Bread

When you make your chicken noodle soup take center stage, it needs a perfect partner.

We can’t think of anything more fitting than a good, fresh-baked bread to pair with it. Rosemary bread in particular is always a good contrast with chicken.

When you use rosemary to accentuate your chicken dishes, it adds that extra something.

Add it to bread that you eat with your chicken noodle soup (even if you don’t use rosemary in the soup itself) and it becomes a charming combination.

Dunk it in that soup and you just might feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven.

But if you think you can’t handle baking fresh bread and would rather buy it, then you haven’t seen how easy it is to make.

Homemade rosemary bread

 

Chungah at Damn Delicious has a no knead recipe for rosemary bread that will make your whole home smell cozy and welcoming!

2. Grilled Vegetable Panini

Whether you want to balance your chicken noodle soup out with some more vegetables, or you’re vegetarian and have made a vegetarian-friendly version of the classic soup, a sandwich of vegetables is a great idea.

We love the idea of a panini because it’s warm, like the soup, and has that nice grilled taste to it through and through.

Everything feels melty and snug inside the baguette roll (this is a great way to reuse and reheat baguettes!). You can use a George Foreman indoor if it’s too cold outside to fire up your grill.

In the absence of that, you can also use a cast iron skillet to get the grill-like taste out of your veggies.

A bounty of colorful bell pepper slices, onions, zucchini and mushrooms always tastes amazing together, though it’s perfectly fine to go with whatever is fresh at your farmer’s market.

Grilled Vegetable Panini

Kelley at Chef Savvy has a wonderful vegetable panini recipe that will go great with your chicken noodle soup!

3. 3-Ingredient Baked Ham and Cheese Rollups

It’s too easy to make a ham and cheese sandwich, though we can’t argue it will fit the bill for what to eat with chicken noodle soup.

Still, a bowl of soup and a sandwich is a classic combination.

If you’re looking to make it a little more epicurean than simply slapping ham and cheese between two slices of bread but with just as much ease, making a baked ham and cheese rollup is the way to go.

Baked ham and cheese rollups to gow tih chicken noodle soup

It just seems much fancier, and if you follow Georgia’s recipe on The Comfort of Cooking, you’ll really be in for a treat.

Her recipe only requires pre-made pizza dough, deli ham, and mozzarella cheese yet it looks (and tastes!) so gourmet!

4. Mashed Potato Puffs

Another comfort food big on everyone’s list is mashed potatoes. But they seem so overbearing next to chicken noodle soup.

Making mashed potato puffs though gets around that though by looking classy and changing up texture.

If you love potato soup, then you’ll love this.

If you add as much gravy as we tend to add to our own pile of mashed potatoes, it’s almost like eating a soup itself.

It just feels strange to pair that with chicken noodle soup.

Mashed potato puffs are tasty hand-held bites of mashed potatoes with cheese, chives, and bacon bits which make a nice side to enjoy with your soup.

Mashed Potato Puffs recipe

Farah at The Cooking Jar does these so well, but word to the wise…prepare to make more than one batch because they will disappear quick!

5. Cheesy Pull Apart Bread

Another food from the comfort group circle is cheese.

Anything with cheese seems to soothe, doesn’t it?

While chicken noodle soup traditionally doesn’t have any cheese in it, there’s nothing wrong with serving a cheesy-style side.

Like the mashed potato puffs above, the cheese in cheesy pull apart bread will make for a wonderful pairing with your favorite chicken noodle soup recipe.

This video by Emma’s Goodies will walk you through the process of making your very own cheesy pull apart bread that you’ll adore with your soup, and probably everything else too!

Cheesy Pull Apart Bread Recipe

6. Easy Baked Zucchini

Zucchini is such a versatile veggie that you can pretty much do anything with it.

For those of you that are abstaining from breads but want to add more to go with your chicken noodle soup, baked zucchini can fit the bill.

When you slice it into nice rounds and bake it with cheese on top, it gives you that satisfying flavor of a cheesy bread without those extra carbs.

Since there are noodles in your soup, maybe you want to keep your carb count low so here’s how to do it.

Baked zucchini with chicken noodle soup

Let Holly at Spend with Pennies show you her delicious recipe!

7. Garlic Bread

With the robust flavors of your chicken noodle soup, garlic bread is a match made in heaven! Even if you dunk it in to sop up the broth, neither the soup nor the bread cancel out each other’s flavors.

It only enhances it and it adds a more filling component when you’ve made that big pot of your grandma’s handed-down chicken noodle soup recipe.

French bread is one of the best choices for your base.

Plus, you’ll have it hot and ready in just 15 minutes!

Fresh side of garlic bread

Grab one from the bakery and then take a look at Jaclyn’s easy recipe for garlic bread on Cooking Classy.

8. Brie, Fig, and Apple Grilled Cheese

Tomato soup has always been besties with grilled cheese.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a grilled cheese sandwich with your chicken noodle soup.

In fact, even if you made a grilled cheese the traditional way and ate it with a bowl of your chicken noodle on the side, that would be a treat. However, that light broth of chicken noodle needs something a bit different.

We love the idea of using brie in a grilled cheese, and with apples and fig, it’s like having the best of a cheese board sidled up to your soup.

Soup side of grilled cheese

Maria and Josh at Two Peas and Their Pod have a recipe for just such an indulgence that you’re going to love!

9. Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

Now for a salad to go with your chicken noodle soup!

When we have soup and salad together, we feel like we’re in a café, people-watching as we enjoy our meal.

While there are indeed sometimes you’ll want a sandwich to go with your soup, don’t forget about a good salad.

We’re not talking about some bag of pre-packaged lettuce and a half-hearted scattering of red cabbage and carrot shreds thrown in for good measure. Nope.

We’re talking about a salad that looks (and tastes!) so good that you might very well decide to eat it every day.

Butternut squash is a hearty choice for the cooler months, and when it’s mixed onto arugula with candied walnuts, goat cheese, beets, and dried cranberries, you’ll have all you need for a gourmet dinner.

Best butternut squash salad

What Gaby’s Cooking has a recipe that will motivate you to make this simply by looking at her photography.

10. Spinach Salad with Bacon

Another salad that goes with chicken noodle soup is one made of spinach. And spinach tossed with bacon and eggs in particular seems quite fitting. It’s light yet satisfying because of all the textures.

And honestly, there’s something about that combination of bacon, eggs, and spinach.

If you throw in some tomatoes, mushrooms, and sliced avocado, you’ll be giving yourself all the nutrients you need for your best cooler weather health.

Spinach Salad with Bacon to go with chicken noodle soup

Marissa at Pinch and Swirl has modified a classic recipe from the 1970s that has truly stood the test of time.

11. Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza

If you’d prefer to keep your chicken noodle soup more on the side, why not serve it with pizza?

A flatbread-style pizza like topped focaccia is best though otherwise it will all feel too heavy.

Like bread on the side, the pizza shouldn’t be overbearing.

This will bring balance to the meal. Plus, who doesn’t love an excuse to eat pizza?

With lots of arugula on top, it’s like having a vessel to shovel your greens in too.

Shall we call it a car for salad? Maybe not, but hey, with goat cheese and little cherry tomatoes, it’s basically salad bread.

Goat cheese arugula pizza recipe

Tracy at Shutterbean has a recipe for you to get you going!

12. Italian Chopped Salad

Chicken noodle soup isn’t Italian by any stretch, but that doesn’t matter.

It can match wonderfully to the boldness of Italian flavors.

Italian salads are as robust and hearty as the culture itself, so making an Italian chopped salad to go with your soup will most definitely leave you full without making you feel like you ate an entire lasagna.

With a little bit of this and that like cucumbers, chickpeas, red onions, pepperoncini, and plenty of cheese, you won’t have to beg anyone to eat more salad at the table tonight.

Chopped side salad

Deborah at The Harvest Kitchen presents an Italian chopped salad that has the restaurant-quality flair you want to bring into your home.

13. Avocado TLT (Tempeh, Lettuce, Tomato)

Our final option for what to serve with chicken noodle soup is a twist on an iconic sandwich, the BLT.

For the record, we love BLT sandwiches.

If you’re a meat-eater, go ahead and make one with your chicken noodle soup.

But if you’d like a break from meat, can’t eat bacon, or you’re meatless, we’d like to give an option for you to pair with your chicken-less chicken noodle soup.

Using tempeh instead of the bacon is one of those things that works so beautifully you won’t even miss that bacon.

Not sure you’ll like tempeh?

You can roast slices of eggplant in your oven and replace the bacon that way. Live a little and try it with tempeh.

BLT with chicken noodle soup

Shannon at Yup…It’s Vegan! teaches you how to master the art of cooking with tempeh.

Tips for Making Your Chicken Noodle Soup the Best Ever

Don’t have a chicken noodle soup recipe to call your own?

There’s no time like the present to make your own version, or to even modify the recipe you were handed down from Mom and Grandma… like her chicken pot pie recipe.

Yes, there’s nothing like a classic, but there’s something wonderfully satisfying when you add your own personal touch to improve on something.

What do we mean by that?

Quite simply, these tips below will help you add modifications that can boost your chicken noodle soup recipe even further! (And even if you’re on the Instant Pot bandwagon, most these little tidbits can still apply.)

Use organic chicken bone broth

A lot of home cooks today take the shortcut of using chicken broth as the base for their chicken noodle soup recipe.

If you don’t have time to make your own stock from leftover vegetable bits and chicken bones (we like saving them from the supermarket rotisserie chicken for this purpose), you should choose organic chicken bone broth.

It’s healthier plus bone broth adds more nutrients into your soup.

This is especially important if you’re making chicken noodle soup because you don’t feel well.

Use fresh herbs

Fresh herbs go with chicken noodle soup

Whether you use parsley, basil, or dill in your recipe, always choose fresh herbs to go with your chicken noodle soup.

They make all the difference in adding that flavor you love!

Sauté your onions and celery

When you do, you add yet another layer of flavor! The bonus you get will get a touch of sweetness (from the caramelized onions) that can compliment some of your your less sweetened chicken noodle soup side dishes as well.

But don’t sauté the carrots

Carrots have a firm texture that you want them to uphold. They should never be crunchy in your chicken noodle soup, so make sure to add them toward the beginning.

Tip: If you’re choosing a veggie-based side dish, think about using fewer carrots.

Always remove the chicken first

When you’re making your own chicken stock or even cooking in the bone broth, cook your chicken first. Once it’s cooked, remove it.

This ensures you get any little pieces of bone or cartilage out of there. No one wants to accidentally bite into that!

The only exception to this rule is if you’re using fully-cooked chicken meat to add to the soup sans bones. And if you do add cooked and shredded chicken meat, add it last!

Cook noodles separately

Do you know why canned chicken noodle soup doesn’t taste that great? It’s because the noodles have been sitting in there turning to mush since it was canned.

You’re better than that!

Whether you use egg noodles, spirals, or some other type of pasta, cook it separately and add it to the bowls of soup as you serve it.

The pasta will retain its bite and the soup will be even more delicious.

Try something new

Something else we love to do is add matzoh balls to chicken noodle soup.

Chicken noodle soup with matzoh balls

If you’ve never had them, they’re round, pillowy balls of heaven that soak up all the flavors of the chicken, broth, and vegetables.

You can find matzoh ball mixes in the ethnic section of your supermarket. Like chicken and dumplings, hey’re incredibly easy to make and a real game-changer.

Of course, if you’re going with bread as a side to your soup you may not want to forgo this one for now.

Thinking of having chicken noodle soup tonight? Now you know what to serve with chicken noodle soup, so go ahead and bowl your family over with deliciousness!

chicken noodle soup side recipes

What to Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup

Ideas and side dish recipes to eat with Chicken Noodle Soup
Course: Side Dish

Ingredients

  • Rosemary Bread
  • Vegetable Panini
  • Ham and Cheese
  • Mashed Potato
  • Cheesy Bread
  • Baked Zucchini
  • Garlic Bread
  • Grilled Cheese
  • Squash Salad
  • Spinach Salad
  • Arugula Pizza
  • Chopped Salad
  • Avocado TLT

Instructions

  • Choose your desired Chicken Noodle Soup side dish recipe.
  • Gather and organize needed ingredients.
  • Create a tasty Chicken Noodle Soup side to complete your meal!

Chicken noodle soup sides pin

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