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This easy homemade chicken noodle soup recipe can be prepared in under 45 minutes, but tastes way better than what you buy in a can.
We're in the middle of soup season - from green chili chicken enchilada soup to beef chili to pumpkin and sweet potato soup to Instant Pot chicken and rice soup. But America's favorite soup is good old chicken noodle.
I'm sure everyone had chicken noodle soup growing up, especially if they were sick. I feel like it is one of those things that is just a part of society.
Before deciding to make it, I actually looked to see if there was any benefit. Perusing around the internet I found that studies have shown that a hearty bowl of chicken soup may help you to clear nasal congestion and have a mild anti-inflammatory effect that can help ease cold symptoms.
Whatever it is about chicken noodle soup, there isn't much better when you're congested. And what's great about this soup is it can be made in under 45 minutes and is very easy to put together, which is something I'm always looking for in recipes.
So save this easy homemade chicken noodle soup recipe for a cold day or if you unfortunately have a cold yourself.
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Ingredient Notes
- Chicken - I personally like to cook my own chicken and usually use chicken thighs, but you can use rotisserie chicken too if you want to save a step.
- Mirepoix - you can't have chicken noodle soup without onions, carrots and celery. It is where much of the flavor comes from.
- Herbs - the fresh herbs really kick up the flavor of the soup and to me is what makes it different from others.
- Broth - when making soup I always use broth. Broth is made from the meaty parts of the bird and is lighter than its stock counterpart. Broth is something you sip where stock is something you cook with.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can switch things up if needed. Some variations include:
- If you don't have sweet onions, white, yellow or red onions will work as well. They all high slightly different flavors.
- While I use broth, stock will work as well. It just has a richer flavor.
- Egg wide noodles are the most common for this soup, but you can really use any pasta you like - from macaroni to farfalle.
Step-by-Step Photos
If cooking the chicken, season and cook for 4 minutes per side then shred. Add olive oil and butter and cook mirepoix until softened before adding in the garlic and herbs.
And the broth and bay leaves and bring to a boil before adding the egg noodles to cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken parsley and lemon juice and adjust for seasoning.
FAQs
Yes of course. Sometimes I do this myself. You'll want to add about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken to the soup.
You can but I recommend using fresh herbs if possible. The freshness of the herbs really enhances the flavors. Dried herbs can work, but you'll have to play around with how much to add since this recipe was developed with fresh.
Usually you use ⅓ the amount of dried when compared to fresh so in this case you would use ½ teaspoon of each dried herb.
There is nothing wrong with having a big batch of soup to use whenever you need.
To store in the fridge, just let come to room temperature and place in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When reheating, you might need to add more broth as noodles soak it up.
To store in the freezer, place in airtight container in freezer for 3 up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let that overnight in the fridge. Reheat on the stove and add more broth if needed.
Slow Cooker Version
Like any soup recipe, you can make easily make this in a slow cooker.
- Cut the vegetables slightly larger so they don't get mushy.
- Add all ingredients except for the noodles to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred, then return to the slow cooker with noodles, cooking until noodles are ready.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Use pre-shredded rotisserie chicken to make the soup even quicker.
- Replace fresh herbs with dried herbs if needed, using ½ teaspoon of each.
- Use quality low-sodium chicken broth as it contributes to the flavor. You can also use chicken stock which gives the soup more mouth feel.
Other Soup Recipes
If you’ve tried this easy homemade chicken noodle soup recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast (or 2 cups shredded chicken from rotisserie chicken)
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups sweet onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 cup celery, sliced thin
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 oz wide egg noodles
- 4 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ lemon, juiced
- salt + black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper chicken and then cook 4 minutes on both sides. Shred chicken and remove from dutch oven.
- Add 2 tablespoon olive oil and butter to dutch oven, still oven medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables soften. Stir occasionally.
- Add garlic, thyme, rosemary and oregano and cook for an additional 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bay leaves and bring to boil. Boil for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
- Add the egg noodles and boil according to package. It should be 6-8 minutes. With about 2 minutes left, add chicken, parsley and lemon juice. Make sure to taste soup as you might need to add some salt or additional herbs. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately.
Notes
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Use pre-shredded rotisserie chicken to make the soup even quicker.
- Replace fresh herbs with dried herbs if needed, using ½ teaspoon of each.
- Use quality low-sodium chicken broth as it contributes to the flavor. You can also use chicken stock which gives the soup more mouth feel.
Sylvia says
Thank you for another great recipe. This sounds so much better than "Campbell's".