This easy chicken noodle soup recipe is a family-friendly hearty soup that’s ready in under an hour! Packed with tender chicken, egg noodles, fresh herbs, and lots of vegetables, this one-pot wonder is perfect when you’re craving something comforting and nutritious.
Why We Love This Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles
Whenever we are feeling a little under the weather or just need a cozy meal, we turn to this chicken noodle soup recipe. My mom used to make a crockpot chicken noodle soup when I was growing up, but we don’t always plan ahead. So we whipped it up into this stovetop version and it’s quickly become a staple in our house! It’s warm, hearty, and reminds me of home every time I take a bite. It’s so simple to make but tastes like you’ve spent hours on it. Here’s why we make this soup over and over again:
- Family-Friendly: We haven’t found anyone that doesn’t love this soup! Using simple and universal ingredients means that just about everyone is going to love it, even the kids!
- One-Pot Wonder: Ready in under an hour, this easy chicken noodle soup recipe is a one-pot meal. Fewer dishes to wash at the end of the night is always a win.
- Budget Meal: This is a great recipe if you’re looking to feed a family without breaking the bank.
- Great for Leftovers: It tastes just as good the next day, making it perfect for meal prep. We often freeze leftovers in single-serving portions for a quick lunch later.
Looking for more comforting and easy soup recipes? Try our easy chicken and dumpling soup, veggie-filled minestrone soup, or this hearty turkey chili recipe!
Featured Reader Review
This the best chicken soup recipe I have tried. Will continue to make this recipe.
Key Ingredients
I love a shopping list that’s nice and simple! Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make easy chicken noodle soup recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Chicken Breasts: We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but thighs also work great. You could also use a rotisserie chicken to make the soup even faster.
- Yellow Onion: You could also use white or sweet onions.
- Carrots: For the most flavor, we recommend slicing up fresh carrots yourself. However, you can use frozen carrots to save time.
- Celery: We like to include the celery leaves as they add a lot of extra flavor to the soup.
- Chicken Broth: Or you can use chicken stock. We like to use low-sodium broth so that we can adjust the salt level ourselves.
- Egg Noodles: Or you can use your favorite pasta. We like to use egg noodles because they cook quickly in the broth and they aren’t too starchy.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
This soup couldn’t be more wonderfully simple to make with just a few easy to follow steps! Below is a quick overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Sauté the vegetables: You’ll cook the mirepoix (the combination of onions, carrots, and celery) for a few minutes until they become a little tender. Then add the garlic.
- Add broth and chicken: Add the chicken, broth and seasonings. Turn up the heat so that the soup begins to simmer gently.
- Cook the chicken: Cover the soup and cook until you are able to shred the chicken easily. We shred the chicken right in the pot with two forks.
- Cook the noodles: Add the noodles to the simmering broth and cook until tender. Serve and enjoy!
Cook’s Tips and Variations
- More or Less Chicken: Two pounds of chicken makes a meaty soup, so it is hearty and filling. If you prefer, you can use less chicken. For even more flavor, try using bone-in chicken breasts or thighs. Just remove the bones before shredding the meat.
- Try Different Noodles or Rice: Egg noodles are classic, but you can use any pasta you have on hand, like macaroni, rotini, or ditalini. You can also swap out the noodles for rice to change things up.
- Don’t Overcook Noodles: The noodles will continue to cook in the hot soup after you remove the soup from the heat, so only cook the noodles until al dente. They will still have a little bite to them, adding texture.
- Add Lemon: A little fresh lemon juice added before serving will brighten up the flavors.
- Add Extra Veggies: Throw in some diced potatoes, zucchini, corn, peas, or spinach to make this soup even heartier.
- Make It Creamy: Stir in a splash of cream or half-and-half for a richer, creamier soup.
What To Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crusty Bread or Dinner Rolls: Buy a loaf of your favorite rustic bread for dipping into the soup! You could also try our melt-in-your-mouth herb crescent rolls.
- Crackers: Saltine crackers and oyster crackers are classic add-ins for chicken noodle soup!
- A Quick and Easy Sandwich: You could make a simple sandwich with your favorite deli meat or try our air fryer grilled cheese.
Yield: 6 Servings
Best Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles
This homestyle easy chicken noodle soup recipe is ready in under an hour! Loaded with tender chicken, egg noodles, vegetables, and herbs, it is brimming with cozy flavors that feel like a warm hug. It’s a simple one-pot recipe, perfect for busy weeknights or whenever you are craving a bowl of comfort.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 8 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
- 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 oz egg noodles, or your favorite small pasta noodles
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, over medium heat, add oil. Stir in the onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté for 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute. Then stir in the broth, chicken breast, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Once simmering, cover pot with the lid slightly askew and cook until the chicken is tender and easily shreds, about 15 minutes. Using 2 forks shred the breast into the broth. Shred the chicken into larger or small pieces, whichever you prefer.
- Bring the soup to a low boil and add the egg noodles. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Serve warm with fresh chopped parsley and your favorite bread or crackers on the side.
Notes
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Then you can reheat it on the stovetop or microwave. Keep in mind that the noodles will absorb some of the broth, especially when storing leftovers. So we usually add a little extra broth when we reheat leftovers.
Freezing: This soup freezes well, but we highly recommend freezing it without the noodles, as they can become mushy. Simply thaw the soup and add fresh noodles when reheating. You can freeze the soup for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Make Ahead: This soup is great for meal prep! Make a big batch and enjoy it throughout the week for quick lunches or dinners. Just wait to add the noodles until you’re ready to serve to keep them from getting soggy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 378kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 121mg, Sodium: 887mg, Potassium: 1064mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 3730IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 2mg
Excellent base soup. I used shallots instead of onions. But ended up adding 1/4 onion. The fresh Thyme really made a nice soup. And I used organic chicken.
This was my first time making soup from scratch and it came out amazing thanks to this recipe all I did was switched the egg noodles for what I had on hand
Loved this recipe! I did have to cook the chicken and noodles longer than it says and I also used extra broth. It turned out very good though! I am so thankful for the internet lol
The Soup Came Out a Little peppery.
No Sure How To Mello It Out
Any Ideas
Hi Lirio! The only real peppery addition in this one is the actual pepper. Instead of adding the 2 teaspoons, just season to taste instead so it’s perfect for you!
Easy to make. Tastes great. Just substituted Better Than Bullion Chicken for the stock. Since that has salt we eliminated the salt.
how long will it take for the chicken to cook?
Hi Jody, let the soup simmer 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is easily shredded with a fork.
Used this recipe for the most part – added 1 can cheddar cheese soup & also added parsley & thyme – yummy!!
Loved this soup! But what do you consider a serving size? 16oz?
This the best chicken soup recipe I have tried. Will continue to make this recipe.
Do you cook the chicken first?
Hi Jack, no need to cook the chicken ahead of time. Add the raw chicken when adding the broth and seasonings.
Thank You
Nice soup, I used broken high fiber spaghetti noodles, it was great, thanks for the recipe!
I hav made this recipe twice and my family really loved it; even my finicky 6 year old grandson. Thank you so much for such an easy scrumptious recipe!! 🤗
Absolutely Delicious recipe!! I like more veggies so used 2 large carrots, 2 large celery stalks and instead of salt used 2 packs Goya chicken bouillon!!
This soup was excellent!! Thank you for sharing.
We are so glad you enjoyed it!