Chicken noodle soup is the perfect comfort soup on a chilly day. Simple to make and full of delicious flavor. It will become an instant favorite!
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Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
With September just around the corner, I thought it was time I started posting some of my favorite soup recipes. First up? This easy chicken noodle soup! It’s so delicious and is perfect on a chilly fall day served with homemade dinner rolls or my favorite Parker House rolls recipe. Yum!
This chicken noodle soup is the perfect recipe for when you don’t have time to make it from scratch. It’s one of my family’s favorites and is on rotation at least once a month from September through March. It is so good!
It’s also great for when you’re under the weather. Whenever I feel a cold coming on, I always crave a bowl of this chicken noodle soup or my chicken lemon orzo soup. It’s one of those comfort meals that is actually pretty healthy too.
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: I like to use chicken breasts cut up in bite-sized pieces for quicker cooking.
- Veggies: Onions, garlic, carrots, and celery give this soup its heartiness and fresh flavors.
- Flour: Cooking this before adding any liquid helps toast out the flavor and thicken the soup.
- Seasonings: Thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper give this soup a nice boost of flavor.
- Broth: Chicken broth helps cook the vegetables and chicken, as well as act as the backdrop to bring everything together.
- Lemon juice: Just a little bit of citrus to brighten the soup.
- Noodles: Egg noodles are my favorite and cook pretty quickly.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cook onions and garlic. In a medium-sized stockpot, melt butter over medium-heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Then slowly add in flour and stir until it forms into a thick, golden brown paste.
- Add chicken stock, veggies and spices. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and bring to a light simmer. Then add chicken, carrots, celery, lemon juice, parsley and thyme. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in noodles and simmer. Add the egg noodles and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes, or until both the noodles and chicken are cooked in this soup. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Top with fresh parsley if desired!
Tips + Variations to Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Create the best chicken noodle soup, your way! This soup is a classic but always has its own variation. Make this noodle soup with chicken just the way you like it!
- You can use shredded rotisserie chicken for convenience.
- Mix up the herbs by using rosemary, bay leaves, oregano, or whatever you have on hand.
- Chicken thighs also work well, if you’d prefer.
- This recipe also tastes great with leftover roasted turkey from the holidays. You can also sub homemade turkey stock for chicken stock.
- Egg noodles are my favorite pasta, but rotini, or elbow noodles would also taste delicious.
- If you don’t have any fresh parsley on hand, you can add about 2-3 teaspoons dried parsley.
- You can mix in some spinach or chopped kale at the very end to add more veggies.
- When chopping up the vegetables, be sure to chop them evenly (all the same size) in order to have them properly cook together.
Recipe FAQs
Of course! Swap the egg noodles for a gluten-free noodle or even garbanzo beans. You can also opt to omit the noodles and instead add a lot more veggies, like spinach, kale, broccoli, green beans, peas, etc.
Chicken is cooked when it reads 165°F with an instant read thermometer. You can also cut into the chicken to see if any pink remains. If so, keep cooking.
Yes! Instant Pot chicken noodle soup is just as easy to make and will be ready a few minutes faster than the stovetop version. Even the noodles cook in the pot too!
Yes! Chicken noodle soup is perfect for cold days and always full of flavor but it does have provide important health benefits. Each ingredient contributes its own nutrition. The broth provides magnesium, sodium, and potassium which help increase hydration and helps lowering high body temperatures when sick or ill.
Freezer Instructions
You can easily double this recipe and freeze half for later. It’s perfect for busy nights where you need something quick and simple. I would suggest omitting the egg noodles if freezing. They tend to separate and get a bit mushy. When you’re ready to enjoy the soup, simply cook the egg noodles in a separate pot while it reheats.
To freeze: Allow the chicken noodle soup to cool and then place in a zip top bag or freezer container. Then place in the freezer. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator (set in a pan so it doesn’t make a mess) or in the sink. Then reheat the noodle soup on the stove or in the microwave (cook the noodles separately while it reheats). Add the cooked noodles into the bowls first, then ladle the soup on top.
5 star review
“Such a delicious recipe! Served this for dinner last night and it has quickly become a new family favorite recipe! Yum!”
-Beth
More Comfort Food Recipes
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Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast , cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley , plus more for topping (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 ½ cups dry egg noodles
- Salt , to taste
- Ground black pepper , to taste
S&P, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized stockpot over medium heat, melt butter. Add carrots, celery and onions. Cook for a few minutes. Then stir in garlic and cook until the onions become translucent. Slowly whisk in the flour until it becomes a thick paste and turns a light golden brown.
- Add in the chicken pieces, lemon juice and seasonings. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and bring to a light simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in noodles and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until the noodles and chicken are cooked through. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm and top with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
So easy to make and so delicious! Thanks for sharing it.
This is also a good one, Greta. Comfort food at its finest. Definitely warms you up.
I love the taste of this one! So delicious!
Isn’t this the perfect comfort food, Cam? Glad you like this one. Thanks for sharing.
This was so good! Just what I needed today. Thanks for the recipe – I’ll make it again.
Glad to hear this helped, Wendy. Definitely one of my top comfort foods!