Chicken Noodle Soup

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When my body is tired and achy, or I’m feeling a bit under the weather, I always throw together this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. The aroma that fills my house as it cooks is absolutely delicious, and the “from scratch” chicken soup flavor makes it the ultimate comfort food. But don’t worry, this surprisingly simple and easy recipe makes the BEST homemade chicken noodle soup with very little hands-on time!

“I just made this soup, and after 30 years of being alive, I have to say this is the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had! My fiancée feels the same way and this is now the only chicken noodle soup I’m allowed to make, or want to make for that matter. Thank you for this recipe!!! Its amazing!!!! 🙏”

Trevor

Chicken Noodle Soup Made with Simple Ingredients

I start this soup with a simple mirepoix of onion, carrot, and celery, along with a little garlic for extra depth. As they simmer with the chicken breasts, they deepen the flavors of the chicken broth and make it taste like it’s been cooking all day. Basil, thyme, bay leaf, and freshly cracked pepper give it a classic warm flavor, while the wholesome veggies add plenty of color and texture to each bowl. I just LOVE this easy chicken noodle soup!

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The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Cost $11.11 recipe / $1.39 serving

4.80 from 286 votes

This is the BEST easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. It's delicious and made from scratch, just like Grandma used to make!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Author: Beth Moncel

Servings 8 1.5 cups each

Prep 15 minutes mins

Cook 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion ($0.99)
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves ($0.12)
• ▢ 4 carrots ($0.65)
• ▢ 2 ribs celery ($0.70)
• ▢ 1 Tbsp fresh parsley ($0.08)
• ▢ 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.38)
• ▢ 1 tsp dried basil ($0.25)
• ▢ ½ tsp dried thyme ($0.24)
• ▢ 1 bay leaf ($0.12)
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly cracked, $0.02)
• ▢ 1-3 tsp salt (divided, $0.02)
• ▢ 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless $6.21*)
• ▢ 8 cups chicken broth ($0.72**)
• ▢ 6 oz. egg noodles (uncooked, $0.61)

Instructions 

• Gather your ingredients.
• Dice onion, mince garlic, peel and dice carrots, dice celery, and mince the fresh parsley. Set the parsley aside.
• Add olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery to a large soup pot and cook on medium heat until vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the minced garlic, dried basil, dried thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, and 1 tsp salt to the pot. Stir and cook an additional 5 minutes.
• Add chicken breasts to pot and cover with the chicken broth.
• Cover the pot with a lid, bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour. Make sure the pot continues to simmer for the whole hour. If the heat is turned down too low and it is not bubbling away, the chicken will not shred easily.
• After an hour of simmering, remove the chicken from the pot. Using two forks, pull the meat and shred it. Taste the broth and season with additional salt, if needed. Begin with one teaspoon and add more to your liking. I didn't need to add much salt because there’s already plenty in the bouillon I used to make the broth.
• Add the egg noodles to the pot, turn the heat up to high, and boil the noodles until tender (about 7 minutes). Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Taste and season again with salt if needed (I didn’t need to).
• Finish with fresh parsley and serve hot!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

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Equipment

• Large Soup Pot

Notes

*You can also use bone-in chicken breasts (split bone-in chicken breasts), thighs or drumsticks. The bones will add even more flavor to the broth! Remove the bones when shredding the chicken and discard.

**We like to use Better Than Bouillon to keep our broth costs low. To make your own bone-in broth: Pull the skin and any excess fat from the chicken breasts. Add the breasts to the pot along with 8 cups of water instead of the chicken broth.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 17gFat: 7gSodium: 1263mgFiber: 2g

Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.

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How to Make Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Step-By-Step Photos

Gather all of your ingredients.

Prep the veggies and aromatics: Begin by dicing 1 medium yellow onion, mincing 3 cloves of garlic, peeling and slicing 4 carrots, dicing 2 ribs celery, and mincing 1 Tbsp fresh parsley. Set the parsley aside.

Sauté the mirepoix: Place the onion, carrots, and celery into a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are softened, stirring occasionally. This should take about 6 minutes.

Add the seasonings: Add the minced garlic, 1 tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, ¼ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the chicken and broth: Add 2 chicken breasts to the pot along with 8 cups of chicken broth. (Refer to the recipe card for homemade broth).

Bring to a boil: Cover the pot and bring up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for one hour. Make sure you don’t turn the heat down so low that it stops simmering. It needs to simmer the whole time.

Shred the chicken: After an hour of simmering, pull the chicken out of the pot. Use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces. Now taste the broth and season with additional salt, if needed. Begin with one teaspoon and add more to your liking. I didn’t add much salt because there’s already plenty in the bouillon I used to make the broth.

Add the noodles: Now stir in 6 oz. egg noodles, turn the heat up to a boil, and cook until tender (about 7 minutes). You can use any noodle that you like, but I really like egg noodles for this soup. They have a nice firm texture, and they don’t disintegrate in the soup.

Finish the soup: Add the shredded chicken back to the chicken soup, stir to combine, and you’re ready to eat! It’s never a bad idea to give it one last taste and adjust the salt if needed. (I didn’t need to add any more).

Now your homemade chicken noodle soup is ready to serve and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

When I make chicken noodle soup, I usually like to have some bread on the side to soak up the broth. A crusty store-bought baguette or sourdough works great in a pinch, but if you’ve got a little time, my no-knead focaccia or our hearty soda bread make the whole meal totally homemade! Some soft, pillowy dinner rolls would also be delish for dipping. 🤤

Storage & Reheating

This recipe makes about 12 cups, so it’s not a bad idea to freeze some for later. To freeze it, I divide it into single portions, make sure it is chilled completely in the refrigerator, then transfer it to the freezer for up to 3 months. A quick reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove makes it an easy go-to meal when you’re short on time or feeling under the weather!

You can also store this soup in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Just note the noodles will soak up some of the broth during storage and become much softer.

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