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 soothing to the soul, and the “from scratch” chicken soup flavor makes it the ultimate comfort food. There’s no bouillon or canned broth here folks, because this chicken soup is the real deal. But don’t worry, despite being made from scratch, this surprisingly simple and easy recipe makes the BEST homemade chicken noodle soup with very little hands-on time!
Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup
Making chicken noodle soup from scratch doesn’t require a lot of complicated ingredients. All you need is chicken, a few simple vegetables, herbs, and spices, and you’re good to go! Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this easy chicken noodle soup recipe:
- Vegetables: I use a simple mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery), plus a little garlic for extra depth. This medley of vegetables simmers with the chicken to create an incredible homemade broth for the soup. The vegetables also add a lot of color and texture to the soup.
- Bone-in Chicken: Using bone-in chicken is critical to creating the most flavorful chicken noodle soup. I use skinless chicken breast (bone-in) so my soup has delicious pieces of white meat throughout. If you’re more of a dark-meat person, feel free to use thighs or drumsticks. I like to remove the skin to reduce the extra fat, but you can leave the skin on while simmering and remove it later if you want an extra-rich soup.
- Herbs and Spices: A combination of basil, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper give this soup its classic warm flavor. And of course, we add some salt to really help the natural flavors pop!
- Water: The chicken, vegetables, and seasoning simmer in water to create a truly amazing homemade broth.
- Noodles: I use wide egg noodles for chicken noodle soup because I love their light texture, but you can use just about any pasta shape you like! Try using stars, alphabet pasta, fideo, or ditalini.
Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken?
You can make this homemade chicken noodle soup recipe even faster by swapping out the raw chicken with shredded rotisserie chicken. Pull the chicken meat from the bones before you begin making the soup, then add the leftover carcass to the soup pot and simmer that with the vegetables instead of the whole chicken breast. Remove the bones before adding the shredded chicken back at the end.
Or, instead of simmering the bones, you can use a pre-made chicken broth and simply add the shredded rotisserie chicken at the end. This is a super fast method for making chicken soup, but the flavor won’t be quite as amazing as making your own broth!
Tips for Making Chicken Noodle Soup More Flavorful
To make sure your homemade chicken noodle soup has the most flavor possible, follow these easy tips:
- Use bone-in chicken, not boneless. The bones give the broth a TON of flavor.
- Make sure your dried herbs are fresh. Dried herbs lose flavor over time, so check those expiration dates!
- Don’t rush it. This soup needs to simmer for quite a while to get the most flavor out of the chicken, vegetables, and herbs. But don’t worry, it doesn’t require much attention as it simmers away.
- Don’t forget the salt. Salt doesn’t just make food taste “salty,” it actually helps our tongue distinguish different flavors. So make sure you salt the soup to taste at the end to get the full effect of all of those delicious flavors.
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
This recipe adapts very easily to the slow cooker. Click here for our Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup recipe (with step-by-step photos).
Freeze the Leftovers!
This recipe makes a big batch, so I always freeze about half of it for days when I’m really under the weather. A quick reheat in the microwave or in a pot and this soup instantly makes me feel better. To freeze this soup, first divide it into single portions, make sure it is chilled completely in the refrigerator, then transfer it to the freezer, for up to about three months.
Pairs perfectly with homemade No-Knead Focaccia Rolls!
The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Servings 8 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.37)
- 3 cloves garlic ($0.24)
- 1/2 lb. carrots ($0.49)
- 1/2 bunch celery ($0.83)
- 2 split chicken breasts, bone-in ($6.64)
- 1 tsp dried basil ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 2-3 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 6 oz. egg noodles ($1.00)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a large pot and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
- While the onion and garlic are sautéing, wash and slice the carrots and celery. Add them to the pot and continue to sauté for a few minutes more.
- Pull the skin and any excess fat from the chicken breasts. Add the breasts to the pot along with the bay leaf, basil, parsley, thyme, some freshly cracked pepper, and 8 cups of water. Cover the pot, 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 from the bone and shred it slightly. Season the broth with salt. Begin with one teaspoon and add more to your liking. I used 2-3 teaspoons. The flavor of the broth will really pop once the salt is added.
- Add the 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). Serve hot!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Video
Love chicken soup? Then you’ll LOVE my Chicken Stew. It’s like chicken noodle soup’s heartier, more rustic cousin!
How to Make Easy Chicken Noodle Soup – Step By Step Photos
Begin by dicing one onion and mincing three cloves of garlic. Place them in a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
While the onion and garlic are cooking, clean and slice 1/2 lb. carrots and 1/2 bunch celery (3-4 stalks). Add them to the pot. Continue to sauté the onions, carrots, and celery together. You’ll only use half of a one-pound bag of carrots and half of a bunch of celery, but the rest doesn’t need to go to waste. You can clean and slice the rest and freeze them to make another batch of soup later. I do it every (other) time. It takes just a few more minutes and is super convenient later!
Remove the skin from two split chicken breasts (2.5-3 lbs. total). Split chicken breasts come with bones and rib meat, both of which add a LOT of flavor to the broth. They will also sometimes be labeled “bone-in chicken breast with rib meat”.
Add the chicken breasts to the pot along with 1 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 Tbsp dried or fresh parsley, 1 bay leaf, and about ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Add eight cups of water, cover, 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 that you don’t turn the heat down so low that it stops simmering. It needs to simmer the whole time.
After an hour, it will look something like this. Pull the chicken out of the pot…
Use two forks to pull the chicken from the bone and shred it into bite-sized pieces.
Add 6oz. egg noodles to the pot while you’re working on the chicken, turn the heat up to a boil, and cook until tender (about 7-10 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. Season the broth with salt, beginning with one teaspoon and adding more until the flavor of the broth really pops (2-3 teaspoons).
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.
This chicken noodle soup recipe makes about 12 cups, so it’s not a bad idea to freeze some for later. Always refrigerate the chicken noodle soup fully before transferring it to the freezer. When making big batches, it’s a good idea to divide it up into smaller portions before refrigerating. This helps the hot liquid to cool down faster once in the refrigerator.
This recipe was excellent! I was too far into the process when I realized I didn’t have parsley or enough chicken broth for 8 cups. I made it work, though, and used 4 cups chicken broth and 4 cups of water. Instead of using bone-in chicken breasts, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I used 2 and cut them in half, and that shortened my cooking time by 20 min. After removing the chicken to shred it, I added two cups of water to make up for the evaporated water/height of the broth without the chicken in it. This recipe was so yummy! Also, this was my first time making chicken noodle soup :)
Do you cover the pot when simmering? It does not specify, I just don’t want the carrots and celery to be soggy.
Yep, cover the pot (step 3). Since the carrots and celery will be in the simmering water, the lid will not make a difference in their texture. They will get quite soft as they simmer in the soup.
I have no comment, however I need to have to know if broth is used salt should NOT BE USED, but I need to make soups without SALT, CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME SUGGESTIONS? My husband should NOT HAVE ANY ADDED SALT, but I’m NOT CLEAR ON THIS! He is in a Rehab Center & they cook with salt, but more salt CANNIT BE ADDED! What to do? A low sodium broth container has more salt in it than Stock!! HELP PKEASE,,,,
You can definitely make it without salt, although the flavors will be very mild without it. Salt really helps make flavors more pronounced and distinct.
Try a salt substitute seasoning like SaltSense and no sodium broth or stock! Should still be delish!
Making This recipe right now looks and smells good haven’t tried it yet
Forgot to add the stars! Loved it!!! 💯
Amazing!👏🏻
Do you know how to convert this recipe to an instant pot one?
I would check the cooking time tables in the IP manual for the correct cooking time for bone-in chicken breast and cook the whole soup on that setting (minus the noodles). Then after it releases pressure, shred the chicken, add it back to the soup along with the noodles and boil it on sauté until the noodles are cooked.
Beth, what about how to convert to doing this recipe with a Slow Cooker/Crock Pot? I’m asking because I often use the larger capacity of my crock pot for soups that might require a taller pot after all those ingredients are being added in. (I want to avoid overflow before I start)! : )
I think you could probably just add everything to the pot (minus noodles) and cook on high for four hours. Shred the chicken, add it back and then maybe add the noodles? I’ve never done noodles in a slow cooker, though, so I don’t know how long they take to cook.
If I’m using a slow cooker/crockpot, when does one add the noodles, during the time it’s on high (for example), and for how long?
Probably closer to the end or else they’ll get mushy. I’ve never made a noodle soup with the slow cooker, though, so that’s just my best guess. :)
Been making my own recipe for years. Yours is better. The spice blend was on the money.
This is delicious soup. Thank you for sharing the recipe
I used broth instead of water
What would you recommend to do if i use chicken broth instead of water? please and thank you!
Just use an equal amount of chicken broth as the water listed, and only add salt at the end if needed (instead of the 2-3 tsp I have listed in the recipe).
Made this last week and my husband said it was the best chicken soup he’s ever had. He demanded I make more and double the recipe haha I’m not sad about it. Thanks for the easy and delicious meal!
Just made this in my crock pot and just finished slurping down a big bowl. So tasty and really clean feeling! The only thing I would change next time is using more celery (I love veggies) and if using the crock pot, not using a whole 2 tbsp of olive oil… maybe you wouldn’t even need any if you’re using the crock pot! Will definitely keep on rotation.
Made it today. Love it!!!
Yes! Thank you.
Do the carrots and celery hold up to such lengthy cooking?
I feel like they do. :)