The ABSOLUTE BEST Chicken Noodle Soup is quick and easy to make using a rotisserie chicken, and so delicious people beg for the recipe! There is no recipe that compares with the flavor in this soup. It’s warm and comforting, and the broth is slowly thickened so it doesn’t hurt your stomach. This makes it perfect for cold and flu season.
Costco’s popular Kirkland Signature Chicken Noodle Soup is a pantry staple for many. With its comforting flavor and generous portions, it’s easy to see why this soup is a favorite during cold and flu season. But with its perishable nature, it’s important to pay attention to storage and expiration to enjoy it safely.
In this detailed guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the shelf life of Costco’s chicken noodle soup, including:
- How the ingredients and preparation impact freshness
- Proper storage temperatures and techniques
- Signs of spoilage to watch for
- Freezing and thawing instructions
- Frequently asked questions
Plus lots of tips on how to make the soup last longer and keep food from going to waste. Let’s dig in!.
Understanding the Shelf Life
In general, Costco’s refrigerated chicken noodle soup will stay fresh for 3-4 days past the purchase date if stored properly in the fridge. This window can vary slightly depending on the ingredients and preparation.
Unlike canned soups, this fresh soup has a relatively short shelf life. That’s because it contains perishable ingredients like cooked chicken and vegetables that can spoil quickly without the right storage. Pay close attention to the use-by date on the package and don’t consume past it.
Factors That Impact Freshness
Several key factors work together to determine how long the chicken noodle soup stays fresh. Being aware of these can help you make the soup last as long as possible.
Ingredient Quality
Higher quality fresh ingredients like the chicken carrots, celery, and onions will naturally last longer. Inspect the vegetables at purchase – crisp, not wilted is best. The chicken should look freshly cooked and moist, not dry or stringy.
Preparation Methods
Proper cooking is important to reduce bacteria. The chicken must reach 165°F internally, the vegetables cooked through. Good sanitation during prep also prevents contamination.
Storage Temperature
This is the most crucial factor! Refrigerate the soup at 40°F or below. Use an appliance thermometer to monitor the temp. Even brief temperature fluctuations shorten shelf life.
Packaging
The container type affects exposure to air and bacteria An airtight plastic tub keeps soup fresher than a lightly sealed plastic bag,
Signs of Spoilage
Rely on your senses to check for signs of spoilage before eating the soup.
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Appearance – Mold, sliminess, separation of liquid, discoloration
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Smell – Sour, unpleasant, or ammonia-like odor
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Taste – Off flavors like sourness or acidity mean spoilage
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Texture – Excessive thickening of broth may indicate spoilage
When in doubt, throw it out! Don’t risk getting sick from spoiled soup.
Freezing and Thawing
Freezing portions of the soup is a great way to extend the shelf life from days to months. Here are some best practices:
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Allow soup to cool completely before freezing to avoid temperature spikes.
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Portion into airtight freezer bags or containers leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
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Label bags with date and contents.
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Freeze at 0°F or below.
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Once thawed, consume within 3-4 days.
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Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, not at room temp.
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Reheat thoroughly until piping hot, at least 165°F.
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Do not refreeze after thawing.
FAQs
Let’s review some common questions about the chicken noodle soup’s shelf life.
How can I tell if the soup has spoiled?
Rely on your senses. Signs include foul smell, mold, texture changes, discoloration, or sour taste. When in doubt, throw it out.
Does freezing affect the taste?
Freezing generally won’t affect taste if thawed and handled properly. Some texture changes are possible.
Can I eat it after the use-by date?
Even if the soup looks fine, don’t eat it after the use-by date. Use-by dates indicate peak freshness.
How many times can I reheat the soup?
Only reheat thawed soup once; repeated reheating breeds bacteria. Bring to 165°F.
How do I thaw the soup safely?
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, not at room temperature. This prevents bacterial growth.
What if the soup was left out overnight?
If left over 2 hours at room temp, discard it. Bacteria multiply quickly in the danger zone of 40-140°F.
Can I freeze soup in the original container?
Yes, but a freezer bag that doesn’t let air in is better to avoid freezer burn. Remove as much air as possible.
How long does thawed soup last in the fridge?
Use thawed soup within 3-4 days for best quality and safety. Use senses to spot spoilage.
Does refrigerator temperature matter?
Yes! Store soup on a lower shelf in the back, where the temperature is most constant at 40°F or below.
Can I store it on the refrigerator door?
Avoid the door, where the temperature fluctuates. Use the back of the bottom shelf instead.
The Bottom Line
The shelf life of Costco’s chicken noodle soup comes down to proper storage and handling. Refrigerate promptly at 40°F or below and check for spoilage before eating. Portion and freeze extras to extend the lifespan from days to months. With some simple precautions, you can safely enjoy this cozy soup throughout cold season and beyond!
Two Options for Noodles
Ie: How to avoid soggy noodles in leftover chicken noodle soup
There are two really good options for adding noodles to this soup. The recipe card below is written in the traditional way, however based on how you are planning to serve the soup and how much you will be saving, you might want to use the alternate method.
For the traditional method for making chicken noodle soup you will cook the vegetables and chicken in the broth, then add the noodle to cook at the end.
- Pros: This way is better because the noodles taste better because they soak up the rich broth flavors as they cook.
- Cons: If you plan to save a lot of food, this method can make the noodles soft and “mushy” when you serve them the next day.
Use the traditional method when you plan to immediately eat most or all of the chicken noodle soup, resulting in little to no leftovers to save for later.
The second method for adding the noodles to the soup is to complete the soup without adding noodles. (Skip adding noodles to the soup in step 4. ).
Make the noodles separately from the soup per the package directions.
You can add the noodles to the soup as it’s being served, adding only the amount you want.
Then, keep the soup and noodles separate when you want to store leftovers. When you’re ready to serve, mix them together and heat them up again.
- Pros: This method keeps the noodles at their best texture for as long as the soup is stored, even if you don’t eat all of it right away.
- Not so good: The noodles don’t taste as good because they were cooked in water instead of the soup’s flavorful broth.
Use this optional method when you are making soup and plan to keep a decent amount of the leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer for later.
Many chicken noodle soup recipes take a lot longer than this one. But there are a few extra things you can do to make it even faster if you know you will be short on time.
- Use vegetables that have already been cut up. To save time, vegetables can be chopped up to 48 hours ahead of time. A lot of grocery stores also sell fresh vegetables that have already been cut up.
- As you’ll see below, the freezer method lets you make part of the soup ahead of time and finish it right before you serve it.
This soup can be easily modified to meet a variety of different dietary needs. See notes below for instructions on each.
- Dairy Free- This recipe is naturally dairy free. Check any store-bought ingredients to make sure they follow the rules.
- Gluten-Free: If you use gluten-free noodles, you can make this recipe gluten-free. Also, make sure that the rotisserie chicken and any other store-bought items are legal.
- Low Carb: Because the spaghetti squash is already cooked, this recipe can be made low carb. For this change to work, you will also need to leave out the cornstarch. This will make the soup’s broth thinner.
Using the Whole Chicken
This recipe is unique in that it uses a whole rotisserie chicken. Most recipes will use shredded chicken breast, thighs, or occasionally a whole uncooked chicken.
Using the rotisserie chicken gives us a few advantages:
- Fast—Makes the soup faster from start to finish for a quick chicken noodle soup recipe!
- Flavor—Rotisserie chicken is already perfectly seasoned, which will give the soup even more flavor.
- Tender—The chicken is cooked slowly, which makes it very tender and juicy. We can add this to our soup without having to wait for it to cook all the way through.
- Easy—Since the rotisserie chicken is already cooked, we can start on all of the above tasks. This makes cooking this dish and getting the best taste and texture a lot easier than with other recipes.
When buying a rotisserie chicken for this soup, the main thing you want to ensure is that you are getting an original flavor rotisserie chicken.
Most stores including Sam’s and Costco carry an abundance of these. Other grocery stores carry original flavor along with other flavors like BBQ, lemon, and others. These flavors may not work well with the flavor of the soup.
You can buy your rotisserie chicken at any grocery store. I tend to lean towards the ones at the warehouse stores just because they are usually a little bigger so I get more meat from them. Any precooked original flavor rotisserie chicken will work though.
My last note on the rotisserie chicken is that in making soup this way you need to be VERY careful in transferring the whole chicken in and out of the soup. It will be VERY hot and a little heavy as well. I generally try to lift and transfer it with tongs to have a good grip.
One of my favorite parts about this soup is that the broth is slightly thickened. It gives the soup a little more substance, holds the flavor better, and works wonders if you are nursing a cold or the flu!
We use cornstarch to thicken the soup. To do this step correctly it is important that you first mix the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup of water.
This is called creating a slurry. What it does is dissolves the cornstarch evenly so that it will combine with the soup without forming lumps and thicken evenly. No one wants lumpy soup!