The Easiest Shortcut Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup
on Dec 28, 2018, Updated Apr 03, 2025
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Itโs not the complicated recipe creation that makes me feel happy and proud so much...itโs the easy ones.

I have been making shortcut chicken soups forever, springboarding off of a rotisserie chicken. This version features a purchased roast chicken, packaged ramen noodles, and boxed chicken broth, but the flavor is so deep and fabulous that you’ll have everyone thinking it was made from scratch.
You simply simmer the bones and skin of a rotisserie chicken (everything but the meat, which you shred and save for the soup itself) in some broth. Then you strain the broth and add cooked ramen noodles, boiled in water but without the salty little packets of chicken flavored powder.
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Add some sliced carrots and celery to the strained broth for color and flavor and texture and a nod to the fact that it’s nice to have produce in your chicken noodle soup. Then in go the cooked noodles and the shredded chicken. The dill is optional though it does make chicken noodle soup taste like chicken noodle soup to folks who grew up with the Jewish version of this soup.
It’s not the complicated recipe creations that make me feel happy and proud so much…it’s the easy ones. The shortcuts that make me say, “Man, why didn’t I think of that sooner?”
When everything comes together there will be nothing to hear at your house but the sound of people slurping up one of the easiest chicken noodle soups you’ve ever made.

More Chicken Soup Recipes
- Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup
- Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
- Red Lentil, Fennel and Chicken Slow Cooker Soup
- Greek Avgolemono Chicken Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 8 cups less-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 2 large carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 3 stalks celery (sliced)
- 2 packets ramen noodles (any flavor; the flavor packet gets tossed)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill (1/2 teaspoon dried or more to taste; optional)
- Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Remove all of the meat from the rotisserie chicken. Place the skin and bones and every other little bit left from the chicken into a pot.
- Add the chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer, partially covered. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fill another large pot with water, salt it lightly, and bring to a boil on another burner. Cook the ramen noodles (discard the flavoring packet) just until barely tender, stirring so that they separate. Drain and leave in the colander for a moment. Shred the chicken meat.
- After 20 to 30 minutes, however much time you have, strain the broth through a sieve into the pot you cooked the noodles in, and discard all of the chicken solids. Add the dill and the carrots and celery and return to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes or so, until the vegetables are tender. Add the shredded chicken and the cooked noodles, season with salt and pepper as needed and serve hot in bowls.
Big hit with my family! Even my youngest very picky eater finished his bowl and another one later that day. I did add some poultry seasoning and onion. Thanks for a great easy recipe!
So…is there any reason you canโt cook the noodles in the broth?
They would soak up a some of the liquid, leaving you with not much soup. If you want to increase the amount of broth you can definitely do that – even more flavorful noodles!
Where do the carrots & celery fit into the recipe?
sorry – they are there now!!