Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup (2024)

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Posted on Published: January 29, 2024

The ultimate comfort food, Chicken Noodle Soup that you can make in no time and is perfect for a chilly night.

Sometimes when you want comfort food or are not feeling well you want an EASY recipe you can make in no time. This easy chicken noodle soup uses already cooked chicken (don’t worry I give instructions if you want to use freshly cooked chicken as well), so it is ready in just minutes. You can play with the seasonings as well to make it just like mom used to make.

And trust me, even if you aren’t feeling well you are going to want this over opening a can of soup any day. Just a little bit more work, but so worth it. And you will have leftovers as well, which is always a good thing!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Noodle Soup

• Easy – soups can seem intimidating because of the amount of ingredients, but it really is easy. Just sauté the vegetables and then let everything simmer until it is ready.
• Comforting – Whenever I was sick as a kid chicken noodle soup was on the menu, so this is the ultimate in bringing back good memories and making me feel better.
• Make Ahead – This is great to made during the day and serve for dinner, or you can even freeze in individual containers and have easy lunches to take to work.

What You’ll Need

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• Oil – olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil or even butter works great
• Carrots
• Celery
• Onion
• Chicken Stock – use a low sodium version if you want to cut back on the salt
• Bay Leaf
• Dried Thyme
• Dried Basil
• Dried Parlsey
• Shredded Chicken – this is great for rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken, but there are instructions below if you want to use fresh raw chicken in this recipe.
• Egg Noodles
• Salt & Pepper – use to taste depending on the flavor of your chicken stock

How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup

• Cook Veggies. In a large stock pot heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion and cook for 5-6 minutes until they are tender.
• Cook Soup. Once the veggies are tender pour in the chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, basil and parsley. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20-40 minutes. It really depends on how much time you have, you can do a quick version of 20 minutes, but the longer you go the more the flavors come together.
• Cook Noodles. Add in the uncooked noodles and shredded chicken. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the noodles are cooked and the chicken is hot.
• Serve. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaf from the pot. Serve bowls of soup garnished with fresh parsley if desired.

Recipe Tips & Suggestions

• The color of your soup is going to depend on the brand of chicken stock you use. For example, Trader Joes brand is much darker and richer than Swanson’s. Use whichever brand you enjoy.
• Want to use fresh chicken? Add chicken breasts to the pan when you pour in the broth. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Then remove and shred, before adding back with the noodles.
• Add salt to taste. Some broths and stocks are saltier than others, so you want to season at the end based on how much you want.
• When making soups I prefer a box of stock or broth as opposed to “better than bouillon base” I think it has a richer taste. But you can use either, or you can even add a little better than bouillon to your chicken broth for an ever more intense flavor.

To Make Ahead

Make Ahead: If you want to make this soup ahead, you definitely can. I personally like to cook the noodles separately if I am going to make it for a day or two in advance. That way the noodles don’t get soggy. Then when you are ready to serve, just bring everything together in one pan to heat until warmed through.

Storage: If you have leftovers you can store in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. The noodles will soak up some of the liquid as it sits. So if you want fresh noodles with your leftovers, just store them separately.

Freezing: Let the soup cool completely and then store in an airtight container (or individual containers) in the freezer for 3-4 months. Let the soup thaw in the fridge before heating to serve. If you are making the soup specifically for the freezer, I suggest undercooking the noodles by a couple minutes, so they will not get mushy while in the freezer.

What To Serve With Chicken Noodle Soup

The ultimate comfort food needs something delicious to go with it for a cold night. Any fresh bread or crackers go well, but here are a few of my favorites.

• Olive Garden Breadsticks
• Homemade Crackers
• Tossed Salad
• Cheddar Beer Bread
• Ranch Oyster Crackers

Recipe Variations

• Want a creamy soup? Stir in about 1-4 cup of heavy cream to your soup to give it just a little bit of richness and make it creamy.
• Adding fresh lemon juice takes it to a whole new level. Classic Greek Avgolemono Soup is a similar soup with rice that is known for the added lemon juice.
• Mix up the chicken and use chicken thighs if you want more tender and juicy chicken. Just add trimmed chicken thighs to the soup as it simmers, they should cook in about 20 minutes.
• Use your favorite noodles. I used wide egg noodles for this recipe, but you can use anything you like. Even rice, or orzo or the frozen thick egg noodles would be good. Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is an example of cheese tortellini being a delicious option!
• Add veggies. If you want to make this an even heartier soup, stir in spinach at the end to wilt, or add zucchini, mushrooms, beans or whatever vegetables you like.

More Comforting Soup Recipes

• Zuppa Toscana
• Chicken Taco Soup
• Instant Pot Potato Soup
• Cheeseburger Soup
• Instant Pot Pozole
• Tomato Tortellini Soup
• Beer Cheese Soup

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