Chicken Noodle Soup
Posted Jan 16, 2021, Updated Nov 15, 2022
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This is the best homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe ever! This easy chicken noodle soup is flavorful, hearty, healthy and it’s made in one pot in under an hour! Follow our step-by-step instructions & watch the video to learn how to make chicken noodle soup!
Soup season is here! And on a busy weeknight when I want a cozy, healthy meal – or when we’re feeling under the weather – I make our favorite Chicken Noodle Soup (or this chicken rice soup or vegetable soup)!
This easy chicken noodle soup is flavorful, hearty, healthy and it’s made in one pot in under an hour! You’ll say, “goodbye” to canned soups forever once you make this homemade chicken noodle soup!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s discuss the ingredients in this chicken noodle soup recipe, as well as possible substitutions.
- Olive Oil. Any neutral oil works well in this chicken noodle soup. Suggested substitutes are avocado oil, canola oil, and butter.
- Onion. Yellow, white, red, sweet, any onion variety works well in this recipe.
- Minced Garlic. Garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic, just add it with the broth.
- Chicken Broth. Homemade or store-bought chicken broth works well in this recipe.
- Better than Bouillon. This is my secret ingredient in my soup recipes (as well as my chicken pot pie). It gives this homemade chicken noodle soup such a great flavor. You can use a different chicken base, but I have had the best results with this brand.
- Raw Chicken Breasts. If you have precooked, leftover chicken you can use that instead. Just make the soup according to the instructions and add the chicken once the noodles are cooked.
- Fresh thyme, bay leaves, and parsley. You can use dried spices, however I don’t recommend it. Fresh is best.
- Egg noodles. Any noodles work well in this chicken noodle soup recipe, egg noodles are our favorite – but rotini, macaroni, wheels, etc. are all great choices.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
This best chicken noodle soup recipe is easy to make in one pot in less than an hour. As always, we’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Cook Vegetables
In a large stockpot, combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent.
Add broth
Once vegetables are cooked, add the chicken broth and better than bouillon to the stockpot and whisk to combine.
Add chicken, herbs & spices
Next, add the chicken breasts, parsley, thyme sprigs, bay leaves salt, pepper to the stockpot and stir to combine. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil. After it reaches a boil reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 45 minutes, covered.
Shred Chicken & Finish cooking
Once the chicken is cooked and can easily be shredded with a fork, remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Then, remove the chicken from pot and transfer it to a large bowl or cutting board to shred. Return the shredded chicken to the stockpot.
Add noodles and cook
Once the shredded chicken is returned to the pot, bring the mixture to a boil and add the noodles. Boil for 10 minutes or until noodles are cooked.
Serve
Serve this homemade chicken noodle soup with your favorite crusty bread, like this no-knead bread, pretzel bread or the best homemade dinner rolls. Or make these easy homemade biscuits!
How to store chicken noodle soup
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
To freeze:
Let the chicken noodle soup cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly, airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
To reheat:
Remove frozen chicken noodle soup from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight, or on the counter (faster). You can also let it thaw slightly then transfer the mostly-frozen soup to a pot and thaw it over low heat, stirring often.
If you love this Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, try these:
- Easy Tortellini Soup is made in 30 minutes!
- Skip the can and make this homemade tomato soup – it’s the BEST!
- You need to try our chicken and rice soup! YUM!
- A bowl of this hearty vegetable soup is comforting and nutritious.
- My son calls this Sausage Kale Soup “the soup that looks gross but tastes really, really good!” Although I think it looks great! haha!
- This Chicken Pot Pie Soup is made in the slow cooker and a go-to for me on chilly, busy days.
- We adore this butternut squash soup – it’s seriously the best!
- These homemade croutons or cornbread croutons are great additions to any soup!
- Try any one of our chili recipes: chicken chili, turkey chili and beef chili!
FAQs about Chicken noodle soup
Chicken noodle soup contains carbohydrates, protein and vegetables all of which are imperative to giving you the energy to fight off illness. The salt in the soup also helps balance your electrolytes and hydrate your body.
Yes. This recipe calls for raw chicken to be cooked with the rest of the ingredients.
We usually stick to the classics: celery, onion and carrots. You can really add any vegetable you’d like such as broccoli, peas, corn, zucchini, bell peppers, etc.
The classic choice is egg noodles, however you can use any pasta or even rice as the starch in chicken noodle soup.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 cup carrots peeled & diced
- 1 cup celery finely diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 quarts chicken broth 8 cups
- 1 TBS chicken base (better than bouillon recommended)
- 2 lbs chicken breasts raw
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp fine sea salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 TBS fresh parsley
- 4 cups egg noodles
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add chicken broth and better than bouillon to the stockpot and whisk to combine.
- Add chicken breasts, parsley, thyme sprigs, bay leaves salt, pepper and stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a boil.
- After it reaches a boil reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 45 minutes, or until chicken is fork-tender.
- Remove and discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- Remove chicken from pot and shred, return it back to the pot.
- Bring mixture to a boil and add noodles.
- Boil for 10 minutes or until noodles are cooked.
- Serve warm.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Olive Oil. Any neutral oil works well in this chicken noodle soup. Suggested substitutes are avocado oil, canola oil, and butter.
- Onion. Yellow, white, red, sweet, any onion variety works well in this recipe.
- Minced Garlic. Garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic, just add it with the broth.
- Chicken Broth. Homemade or store-bought chicken broth works well in this recipe.
- Better than Bouillon. This is my secret ingredient in my soup recipes. You can use a different chicken base, but I have had the best results with this brand.
- Raw Chicken Breasts. If you have precooked, leftover chicken you can use that instead. Just make the soup according to the instructions and add the chicken once the noodles are cooked.
- Fresh thyme, bay leaves, and parsley. You can use dried spices, however I don’t recommend it. Fresh is best.
- Egg noodles. Any noodles work well in this chicken noodle soup recipe, egg noodles are our favorite – but rotini, macaroni, wheels, etc. are all great choices.
How to store chicken noodle soup
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.To freeze:
Let the chicken noodle soup cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly, airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.To reheat:
Remove frozen chicken noodle soup from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge overnight, or on the counter (faster). You can also let it thaw slightly then transfer the mostly-frozen soup to a pot and thaw it over low heat, stirring often.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The photos in this post were taken by Jamie from Dishing Out Health!
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Recipe is phenomenal! Easy and delicious! Only thing we did was add extra chicken broth. Can also make matzoah balls seperately and add them in at the end.
If I used a precooked rotisserie chicken, what would say is the length of time I should cook the soup before adding the egg noodles? Thanks!
Damm this really rocked my boat.I used Pappardelle noodles and and an extra 2 cups of no name chicken . I ended cutting up the noodles once cooked as they were too long . Perfect timing for our Fall weather .Congrats great job
Just cooked up this recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup, using “no yolk” egg noodles, is easy & delicious!
I’m so glad you love it, Gracie!
The recipe was delicious! I added a couple extra cups of chicken broth because we like more juice. It was the best recipe I have found!!!
Can I substitute a while chicken 3-5lbs instead of the chicken breasts?
I’ve made this twice in the past 2 weeks! It’s AMAZING! I used “Costco” rotisserie chicken the first time, adding it before the noodles. The second time I used the raw chicken breasts as called for. Both tasted great. The first batch I used the egg noodles. I would use less next time, as they swell up decreasing the broth. I used mini Bow Tie pasta the second time. Worked great. This recipe is wonderfully delicious!
This is delicious – I assume the mention of rice being added was incorrected? We didn’t add it…very yummy!
Thank you Sarah! I fixed that error!!!
This is the best recipe ever. Make it a lot. So tasty and colorful. Thank you