This easy homemade chicken noodle soup recipe is healthy, cozy, comforting, and made from scratch with simple everyday ingredients.
Don't want to make this on the stove? I've got you covered. Try my Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup or my Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup.
This classic chicken noodle soup is great for when you're under the weather. Whether you've got a cold or you're just feeling cold or blue, you can't go wrong. I have many chicken soup recipes on here, but this is perhaps the quintessential recipe.
Chicken noodle soup ingredients:
Chicken breasts (or use chicken thighs), butter, olive oil, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, chicken broth, water, dried Italian seasoning, and fresh parsley. Simple and delicious!
How to make chicken noodle soup (summary)
Melt the butter and oil in a soup pot and sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 5-7 minutes or a touch longer (a little light browning adds more flavor). Stir in the garlic, then add in the chicken broth, water, chicken breasts, and Italian seasoning. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover the pot, add in the egg noodles, and cook for a further 8 minutes or until the chicken and noodles are just cooked. Take the chicken out of the pot, cut it up/shred it, then add it back in. Season the soup with salt & pepper and add in the fresh parsley. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
What cut of chicken to use?
I used boneless/skinless chicken breasts. Feel free to swap the chicken breasts for thighs (they're more flavorful and are less likely to dry out if you cook them for a bit too long). If you want to use already cooked/rotisserie chicken, add it in towards the end of cooking so it doesn't get dry/overcooked.
Recipe notes & tips:
- You can swap the egg noodles for a different kind of pasta if you wish.
- Sub the dried Italian seasoning for 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme if you like.
- Unless you're using gigantic chicken breasts, they should be cooked if you follow the recipe instructions. With that said, the best way to tell when chicken is cooked is to use an instant read meat thermometer (it's safe at 165F). It can go from perfectly cooked to overcooked and dry in a hurry.
- You can use all chicken broth instead of chicken broth + water. I give the option if you only want to open one 32 ounce/4 cup carton of broth.
- Optional idea: add a couple tablespoons of lemon juice to brighten up the flavor.
- Leftovers: 3-5 days in the fridge, the noodles will soak up some of the broth, so you may need to add more chicken broth when you're reheating.
- Freezing: The noodles will go a bit soggy if you freeze this soup, so I recommend making the soup without noodles if you're planning on freezing the bulk of this soup. Simply add cooked noodles to individual portions of the thawed soup when you're warming it up.
More tasty chicken soup recipes to try:
- Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Simple Chicken Vegetable Soup
Hope you enjoy this homemade chicken noodle soup with egg noodles! Questions? Made this recipe? Leave me a comment/review below.
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled & sliced
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1.5 pounds uncooked chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups uncooked egg noodles
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add the oil, butter, onion, carrots, and celery to a soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so.
- Add in the chicken broth, water, chicken breasts, and Italian seasoning.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring the soup to a boil, and once it's boiling, reduce the heat, cover the pot (with the lid slightly ajar), and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the noodles and cook for another 8 minutes, with the lid off, stirring occasionally so the noodles don't stick to the bottom of the pot. You may need to turn the heat up a bit again so it's boiling gently.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up/shred it, then add it back in. It should be cooked through, but you can always give it a few more minutes if it's not (chicken is safe to eat at 165F).
- Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with both) and add in the fresh parsley.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
- Feel free to swap the chicken breasts for thighs. If you want to use already cooked/rotisserie chicken, add it in towards the end so it doesn't overcook.
- Anything from 1-1.5 pounds of chicken will work (this is about 2 medium-to-large chicken breasts).
- Chicken can go from undercooked to overcooked quickly, so I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer whenever cooking chicken so you're not guessing.
- The noodles will soak up the broth the longer they sit, so you may need to add more chicken broth to leftovers.
- Try the Crockpot version or the Instant Pot version.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Alison says
So delicious!! So tasty, quick & easy to prepare. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Alison!! Thanks for your 5-star review!
Cynthia Cannon says
Great recipe especially when looking for something to feed a sick neighbor. I go overboard on garlic and herbs and add a few salt-free seasonings ... but it was perfect otherwise!!!! And adding juice from half a lemon is a perfect touch!
Natasha says
I'm so glad it worked out! 🙂
Hickey says
I found the homemade recipe to be fabulous!! Fixed for my fa,ily today and they all loved it. I am 37 with a successful career and family and DO NOT have time to make from scratch so THANK YOU for a quick and easy recipe 😊
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! 🙂 Thanks for coming back and writing me a review!
Amy goldberg says
Hi
Try a couple dashes of yellow curry powder. It enhances the flavor. Does not takes like curry. I make my soup like this. And add matzo balls to it. Yummy!!!
Natasha says
That's a great idea, Amy!
Angelina says
This sounds like an easy & quick recipe, but it's not actually what an experienced cook would call 'homemade' chicken soup, where you cook all the parts of a whole chicken (w/the bones & skin) to make the delicious broth. You don't cook only the breasts, & then add broth from a carton. Also, a (real) homemade chicken soup is cooked for much longer than 15 minutes, in order to extract all the flavor from the bones, 'cause you don't add broth from a carton, EVER! It seems as though the definition of 'homemade' has changed over the years. BTW, I'm 34 yrs. old, have 4 kids, a husband, & a career, but I always cook from scratch, b/c it's important to me that my family eats as healthy as possible.
Natasha says
What exactly is the point of your comment other than to criticize my recipe? Yes, there's many ways to make chicken noodle soup. This is a quick and easy way, which many people appreciate. I'm so glad you have the time to make chicken soup your way AND educate someone who runs a successful recipe website. Maybe it's time to start your own blog and teach people your ways?
CH says
Wow. God forbid someone needs an easier alternative to making a tasty meal that doesn't involve making every single ingredient from scratch. Would you speak this way to a mom who is undergoing chemotherapy and barely has enough energy to care for her kids, let alone make every meal from scratch? You wouldn't? Then I suggest letting go of your judgmental nature. It will serve you well and help you feel better on the inside. You can't assume everyone's circumstances, and even if you could, putting others down does make you mightier nor better than anyone. In fact, it does the opposite. Peace!