Chicken Noodle Soup
This quick Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is perfect when you want a hot bowl of comfort but don’t want to slave over the stove for hours. It has the simple, clean flavors you expect from this classic soup.
There’s something to be said for the chicken noodle soup that takes 2 days to make, and starts from scratch with the whole bird.
But when you’re sick and also the cook of the household, that’s typically not in the cards.
For the past week I’ve been the kind of sick where at times you don’t even feel like you can watch TV on a laptop in bed, and this quick Chicken Noodle Soup has helped me get by.
The tricks here for a quick version are to use a good quality chicken broth or stock, make sure to season the soup well (under salted soup is dreadful, isn’t it?), and to include some sort of fresh herb, like thyme or rosemary.
The flavors are clean and fresh!
There’s a lot of customization that can happen for this soup overall, but especially with the noodles. You can add any kind of pasta you’d like, like stars, spirals, and more, but I really love a wide pappardelle egg noodle.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup:
To get started, chop some carrots, onion and celery:
I include more carrots and celery than what is traditional for a mirepoix because I love tasting the carrots and celery in every bite.
Sweat the carrots, onion, and celery in a large soup pot with a little bit of oil, salt, and pepper:
Cook for about 10 minutes until softened:
Next add chicken broth or stock, and your fresh herbs of choice:
Make sure to buy a really good quality chicken broth for this, as the available options vary hugely in quality.
If you google “best tasting chicken broths” you will see lots of posts where people did blind taste tests. My favorites are Imagine Organic Chicken Broth as well as Swanson, and I’ve noticed that these tend to rank well for others too.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer:
After 10 minutes of simmering time, I add some finely chopped chicken seasoned with salt and pepper, which cooks very quickly.
I’m using chicken breast, but boneless skinless chicken thighs are great too, and will be a little bit more tender:
Simmer the chicken for just a couple minutes, until fully cooked through.
You can also just add pre-cooked shredded chicken, either from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, or Crockpot Chicken Breast, which I often keep on hand.
As far as the pasta goes, I boil the noodles separately and also store them separately from the liquid, to avoid that mushy disintegrated noodle texture.
When serving, just add a handful of noodles to the bowl and ladle over the hot soup.
You can also use gluten-free pasta, or simply omit the noodles to make it low carb. Enjoy!
More Favorite Soup Recipes:
Can chicken noodle soup be frozen? Yes, for up to three months. Chill it fully in the fridge before freezing.
How long is chicken noodle soup good for? It lasts a solid 5 days at a minimum, and I can usually keep it for 7 in the coldest part of the fridge.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cups chopped celery
- 1.5 cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 10 cups chicken broth or stock (I like Imagine Organic and Swanson brands)
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme*
- 3 cups finely chopped chicken breast or thighs seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper
- 8 oz pappardelle egg noodles or other desired noodle, cooked**
Instructions
- Heat a soup pot over medium heat, then add the olive oil, celery, carrots, onion, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until softened.
- Add the chicken broth and thyme, bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over low heat.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the chopped chicken and simmer for 3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Taste the broth and make any necessary seasoning adjustments. Depending on the salt content of the broth you use, it may need additional salt.
- Serve the soup in bowls with a handful of noodles added to each one. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
36 Comments on “Chicken Noodle Soup”
How many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Lizette, it’s 8 servings, and you can toggle it as needed using the slider in the recipe box.
I did it in 5 mins by using the rotisserie chicken. It was delicious!
It was delicious but how you did the prep in 5 minutes is beyond me. Very easy recipe. I added celery salt to give it that final oomph.
I love that this is quick, and soooo much better than canned soup!
It looks really comforting for colder nights!
Such a great quick & healthy soup! Love the tip-off finely chopped chicken.
My favorite comfort food!
Comfort in a bowl!
A classic that never gets old. Simply divine.
This is just what I needed. I have a cold and wanted something easy enough to make that was homemade.
Thank you so much for all of the recipes you create
Eeek! Hope you’re feeling better. The soup looks perfect!
Great recipe for my husband who loves soup! I added a little fresh lemon juice, it perks up the soup a little and sneaks in a little Vitamin C!
That’s a great idea!
I absolutely love your new blog. The photography, layout of the site, ease in moving around the site, eat.
This recipe is a staple . So many people love it. It is considered “Jewish Penicillin “, good for when you are sick. I am going to make this tomorrow. Thanks again for your wonderful blog..
Thank you, Paul. I’m really glad to hear that!!! Hope you enjoy the soup 🙂
Yum – thank you.