Most chicken noodle soups taste like warm water with chicken in it. Not this one. Think a golden broth with soft carrots and celery, shredded chicken that falls apart, and egg noodles cooked right in the pot. This is my Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch, in under an hour.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch
I make this one a lot. When somebody’s sick, like now, both Remo and I are sick, when it’s cold out, when I don’t want to think very hard about dinner.
It takes 50 minutes and most of that is the pot doing its own thing on the stove.
Chicken thighs are the way to go here. They go in whole, simmer in the broth, and come out so soft you can shred them with a fork. I had boneless skinless but if you have them with bones and skin, go for it, your soup will be even better.
And add the lemon at the end. One tablespoon. You won’t taste lemon, the soup will just taste better.
What Makes This Chicken Noodle Soup Taste Good
Give the carrots, onion and celery a real 6 or 7 minutes at the start. Not 2. You want the onion see through and the carrots starting to go soft. That’s where the flavor comes from.
Use a broth you’d be happy to drink on its own. It’s most of what ends up in the bowl. Then the lemon. Soup that simmers for a while goes a bit flat, and a little acid brings it back.
That’s all there is to it. A quick word on the noodles. They cook right in the pot, 6 to 8 minutes. If you want leftovers though, cook them on the side and add them to each bowl. Noodles sitting in broth overnight will drink most of your soup.
Ingredients in Chicken Noodle Soup
- Olive oil (2 tablespoons): For the vegetables. Butter works too and makes it a little richer.
- Onion (1 large, diced), carrots (3 medium, sliced), celery (3 stalks, sliced): Slice the carrots and celery about the same thickness so they finish together.
- Garlic (4 cloves, minced): Goes in last, just for a minute. It burns fast.
- Chicken broth (8 cups, low sodium): Low sodium so you can salt it yourself at the end. If you’ve got homemade stock in the freezer, use it here.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs (1½ pounds): Thighs stay tender and shred easily. You can use breasts, but check them at 15 minutes instead of 20.
- Salt (1 teaspoon) and black pepper (½ teaspoon): Start with this and taste at the end. Broths are all over the place for salt.
- Dried thyme (1 teaspoon): Thyme and chicken go together. Fresh works, use about 1 tablespoon.
- Bay leaves (2): In with the broth, out before you serve.
- Egg noodles (3 cups, uncooked): Wide egg noodles are classic. Small shells or ditalini work too.
- Fresh parsley (2 tablespoons, chopped) and lemon juice (1 tablespoon): Both at the end. Fresh lemon, not bottled.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
Start the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a big pot over medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery and let them go 6 to 7 minutes. The onion should turn see through. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the broth and chicken: Pour in the broth, then add the chicken thighs, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves.
Let it simmer: Bring it up to a boil, then turn it down and simmer 20 minutes.
Shred the chicken: Pull the thighs out onto a cutting board and shred them with 2 forks. They should come apart easily. Back into the pot.
Add the noodles: Stir in the egg noodles and simmer 6 to 8 minutes. Taste one at 6, brands are different.
Finish: Pull out the bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Taste it and add salt if it needs it. Mine usually does.
Tips
- Give the vegetables the full 6 to 7 minutes.
- Thighs over breasts if you have the choice.
- Taste before you salt at the end. Some broths are already salty.
- Don’t skip the lemon.
- Cook the noodles on the side if you want good leftovers.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can use chicken breasts.
- Rotisserie chicken works when you’re in a hurry. Shred about 4 cups and add it with the noodles.
- Any short pasta instead of egg noodles. Small shells, ditalini, broken spaghetti.
- Fresh thyme instead of dried, about 1 tablespoon.
- A parmesan rind in with the broth would add some depth, and a handful of baby spinach at the end would get some greens in there.
Storage and Reheating
Keeps in the fridge up to 4 days in an airtight container. The noodles soak up broth as it sits, so add a splash when you reheat.
Reheat on the stove over medium, or microwave a bowl for about 2 minutes.
To freeze, leave the noodles out. It’ll keep 3 months. Thaw overnight and cook fresh noodles when you reheat.
What to Serve With Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crusty bread or a warm roll for dunking.
- Grilled cheese, if it’s that kind of day.
- Saltines, which is how we always had it.
Try These Recipes Next
- Dill Pickle Soup
- Old-Fashioned Beef Tips and Noodles
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Sausage Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, sliced
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups egg noodles, uncooked
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until softened. Stir in the 4 cloves minced garlic for 1 minute more.
- Pour in the 8 cups chicken broth, then add the 1½ pounds chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme, and the 2 bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Lift the chicken out, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot.
- Stir in the 3 cups egg noodles and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender.
- Fish out the bay leaves. Stir in the 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, then taste and adjust the salt before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Chicken. Thighs stay tender and shred easily. If you use breasts, check them at 15 minutes instead of 20.
- Vegetables. Give the onion, carrots and celery a full 6 to 7 minutes before the broth goes in.
- Broth. Use low sodium so you can season it yourself. Taste before adding more salt.
- Noodles. Cook them in the pot if you’re serving right away. For leftovers, cook them separately and add to each bowl.
- Lemon juice. One tablespoon at the end. You won’t taste lemon, it just brightens the broth.
- Storage. Fridge up to 4 days in an airtight container. Add a splash of broth when reheating. Freeze without the noodles, up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re eating it tonight, cook them in the pot. If you want leftovers, cook them separately and add them to each bowl.
Yes. Shred about 4 cups and add it with the noodles. You skip the 20 minute simmer.
Usually the vegetables didn’t get long enough at the start, or the broth was unsalted, or there’s no acid in it. The lemon handles that last one.
Make it up through shredding the chicken, refrigerate, then reheat and add the noodles.
Freeze it without the noodles. Thawed noodles go mushy.
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