The ultimate comfort food, this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup comes together in under an hour. It’s made from scratch with chicken thighs, veggies, and egg noodles for a hearty and filling soup that tastes just like what grandma used to make!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Is there a comfort food more iconic than a big bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup? Whether it’s just to warm up on a cold winter day or to “cure” a cold, some days only chicken soup will do.
This Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is probably a lot like the one your grandma used to make, except we’re using chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. This speeds up the cooking process a bit but still gives the soup a lovely flavor. Then it’s loaded up with veggies like carrots, celery, and onion and simmered for just 30 minutes. Your kitchen will smell AMAZING!
Altogether, this classic homemade chicken soup recipe is ready in less than an hour – and about half of that is hands-off!
What You’ll Need
This easy chicken soup recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients.
- Chicken – I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the most flavor as well as ease in not needing to remove the bones.
- Egg noodles
- Olive oil – For sauteing the veggies.
- Veggies – Onion, carrots, and celery are added to this soup broth.
- Chicken stock – Low-sodium is best and homemade is even better.
- Boullion cube – Adds extra chicken flavor to the soup.
- Pepper
- Parsley
Can I Use Leftover Chicken?
For super-easy chicken noodle soup, you can use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken instead of boiling the chicken in the soup. If you’re doing this, just add the chicken in with the noodles.
Note that you’ll still need to simmer the broth for 20 to 30 minutes. This is an essential step that infuses flavor throughout the entire soup so you don’t want to skip it.
What Kind of Noodles Should I Use?
My favorite noodles are homestyle Reames egg noodles you can find in the frozen food section at the grocery store. They really taste homemade and take this soup over the top. You can, however, use any egg noodles you’d like.
How To Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Making homemade chicken noodle soup is easier than you may think!
- Saute the veggies and aromatics. Cook the onions until soft then add in the carrots, celery, and garlic.
- Cook the chicken. Add the chicken, stock, and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and shred it with forks.
- Add the noodles. Return the chicken to the pot, add the noodles, and bring to a boil until the noodles are fully cooked. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
For the best and most flavorful homemade chicken soup, keep the following in mind,
- Chicken thighs have the most flavor. While you can use chicken breasts in this recipe, the thighs with the dark meat will provide much more flavor to the soup.
- Season generously. Don’t skimp on the seasonings and herbs. Be sure to taste test the soup a few times. If your chicken stock is salty, you may not need to add any salt but you’ll definitely want to add pepper.
- Add some herbs. If you prefer even more flavor, try adding some thyme and bay leaves with the chicken or some chives at the end.
- Don’t skimp on simmering time. As noted above, even if you’re using cooked chicken, you want to let the broth simmer for a while. This is where the magic happens, as far as the flavor goes.
Serving Suggestions
Like any bowl of soup, this homemade chicken soup is perfect served with a freshly baked biscuit. If you’re looking for quick and easy, there 7 Up Biscuits are perfect or these honey butter biscuits. For some cheesy flavor, try my copycat Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
If you don’t have any biscuits, crusty bread works too!
Presentation-wise, I like to add fresh herbs before serving and if you want a pop of flavor, try serving with a lemon wedge to squeeze in as well.
How to Store
Leftover chicken noodle soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. You may want to add a splash of extra broth or even some water when reheating.
Can You Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup?
This homemade soup recipe freezes beautifully! Once it cools completely, transfer it to an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. It will last for up to 6 months, though I’d say the flavor is best within 4 months.
To reheat, let it thaw in the fridge then reheat on the stovetop. You may want to add some fresh herbs and more broth when warming it up.
More Homemade Soup Recipes:
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 6-8 skinless boneless chicken thighs 1.5-2 pounds
- 2 quarts 64 ounces chicken stock
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 16- ounce bag frozen homemade-style egg noodles
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken thighs, chicken stock, and bouillon cubes. Bring the soup to a boil over medium high.
- Cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the soup and shred the meat with forks.
- Add the meat back to the soup.
- Add the frozen noodles to the soup and cover the pot with a lid.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and allow the soup to boil for 10 minutes until the noodles are cooked through and tender.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the finely chopped parsley and stir the soup well.
- Serve hot.
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4 comments on “Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup”
Yummy. Soup is my favorite in winter
Everyone loved this soup. It’s hearty and comforting on cold nights. The frozen homestyle noodles are the best! They hold up well in this soup. I did not need to add any extra salt, as the chicken broth and chicken bouillon had plenty. I added some dried thyme and rosemary for extra flavor, and it was perfect!
I made this per the recipe and my husband loved the flavor. Only problem I had was that the broth was sucked up into the noodles. After refrigerating the leftovers, there was no liquid at all. Someone recommended cooking the noodles first and not adding them frozen to the soup. Have you found this to be an issue?
That is what I do. I cook whatever noodles you like first then add to the finished soup. That helps allot….