Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup — Classic, comforting, and tastes just like grandma made but way easier and faster!! This soup is AMAZING and it’ll be your new favorite recipe!!
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The Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Chicken noodle soup is one of the fondest memories I have of my grandmother’s cooking. Classic, comforting, a cure-all for whatever ailed me, and I could taste my grandma’s love in it.
However, my grandma’s version took hours and hours. I don’t have time to watch a boiling pot for half the day and this version is easy, ready in 30-minutes, and has all the comforting qualities you want in classic chicken noodle soup.
My family loved the homey, classic flavors in the soup, raved about it, and asked when I’m making it again. It makes enough to stash half in the freezer for a rainy day or for winter cold and flu season. Chicken noodle soup is a miracle worker.
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
To make this easy chicken noodle soup recipe, you’ll need the following basic ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Sweet Vidalia onion
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Bay leaves
- Fresh thyme
- Dried oregano
- Wide egg noodles
- Shredded cooked chicken
- Fresh parsley
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
Making homemade chicken noodle soup with egg noodles doesn’t get easier than this! Here’s an overview of how this simple recipe comes together:
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender.
- Add the egg noodles and boil the mixture until the noodles are cooked through.
- Add the chicken, parsley, optional lemon juice and boil until chicken is warmed through.
- Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately!
Recipe FAQs
Egg noodles in chicken noodle soup is the only way to go for me because that’s how my grandma made it, but if you like rotini or another type of pasta, use it instead.
I always use pre-cooked, shredded chicken in my homemade chicken noodle soup. You have a few options when it comes to pre-cooked chicken:
1. You can buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, shred it up, then throw it in the soup (some stores even sell pre-shredded rotisserie chicken which is a huge time saver!).
2. You can meal prep your own stovetop or baked chicken breasts. Either shred or cube the chicken whenever you’re ready to make the soup.
3. Make a batch of poached chicken a day or two in advance to use in the soup.
I prefer using a blend of fresh and dried herbs in my soup for a more nuanced flavor. For this recipe, I used bay leaves, fresh thyme, and dried oregano. However, you can easily adapt the recipe using whatever herbs you have on hand!
The squeeze of lemon juice does NOT make the soup taste even remotely lemony. Instead, it brightens up the rich flavors of the soup and makes the recipe “pop” overall. If you don’t have a fresh lemon on hand, use apple cider vinegar to achieve the same result.
We love serving this easy homemade soup with bread rolls (try Parker House Rolls or No-Knead Dinner Rolls), Skillet Cornbread, or a Classic House Salad.
Tips for the Best Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken: To save time, make this chicken noodle soup with rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken that you have on hand. Of course you can roast or pan sauté chicken if you’re so inclined.
Herbs: There are quite a few herbs used including thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and parsley. If you don’t have them all on hand, don’t want to buy a bunch of thyme for just 1 teaspoon, or aren’t fond of a particular herb, you can probably omit it. Your soup won’t taste exactly like mine, but it’ll be close.
Salt: Make sure to salt your soup to taste. I use low-sodium chicken broth and add a bit of salt to my soup so I can control the overall salt level. The saltiness of low-sodium broth varies among brands, and if you used a rotisserie chicken, salt levels vary. And everyone’s personal preference for salt varies so salt to taste.
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Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin (about 1 1/2 large carrots)
- 1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)
- 1 cup sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 64 ounces 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if desired
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles, or your favorite noodles or pasta
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, use storebought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes. - Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender. Note – If you like brothier soup, add additional broth, possibly as much as an additional 64 ounces because as time passes the noodles will continue to absorb broth.
- Add the egg noodles and boil mixture for about 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft and cooked through. At any time while making the soup, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of water is okay. At the end you will adjust the salt level.
- Add the chicken, parsley, optional lemon juice (brightens up the flavor), and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through. Taste soup and add salt to taste. I added about 1 tablespoon but this will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, herbs, etc.), remove the bay leaves, and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Averie, , I just made it and it’s just so amazing! All I can say is WOW! Great recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it was amazing!
Hi! I can’t remember if I’ve commented or just always told myself to, but I just want you to know how much I LOVE this recipe and have made it countless times. I’ve forwarded it to friends as the best/easiest/yummiest chicken soup and am just so appreciative of you for sharing your recipes! Love the chicken tortilla too!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you love this recipe and have made it lots! Thanks for sharing the recipe with your friends as well!
I was really pleased with the taste. I have been looking for a good “chicken soup” recipe for years!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you found the recipe you’ve been looking for!
I was unsure at first. I don’t normally like chicken noodle soup. But this recipe was very good. Everyone loved it. I will definitely make it again!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you will definitely make it again!
Made three times. Family loves this. I think I will cut the pepper in half or more and only add one clove of garlic. Thank you!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad your family loves this!
Full disclosure: I mostly used your recipe but cobbled it together with another one that uses tortellini instead of egg noodles. AND I completely forgot to put the parsley in, even though it was staring me in the face. Nonetheless – it turned out fantastic!! The flavor is amazing, even without the parsley. I did add extra broth, and when I ran out I of that, added a couple of cups of water and tossed in a couple of chicken broth cubes so the flavors didn’t dilute. All in all, loved the recipe – thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you loved it! I also have this same recipe using tortellini as well here https://www.averiecooks.com/easy-30-minute-homemade-chicken-tortellini-soup/
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Incredible Averie, your recipes are the VERY BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was incredible!
I’ve made it twice! So good! Easy as well. Thanks!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it twice now!
This was the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had! So quick and easy. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it’s the best chicken noodle soup you’ve ever had!
Amazing taste & so easy ! The lemon juice really adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the soup. It is one of the best chicken soups I’ve had. I have made this several times and getting ready to make it again on this cold rainy winter day in Virginia. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you’ve made the soup many times and love it!
Averie, thanks! Very tasty noodle soup turned out. Very cool photos!
Thanks for the five star review and the photo compliments!
I made this recipe as written, except I had added a rind of parmesan to the broth to add extra flavor. This recipe is easy, quick and delicious.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m sure the Parmesan was a great touch!
My hubby and I loved this soup. Simple, quick and easy, I used chicken thighs simply because had them on hand. Had to add an extra 6 cups of broth because hubby is a big broth fan. Just have to say Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you and your husband loved the soup!
One word- Amazing!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it was amazing!
Wow I just found out I’ve got the flu and found this recipe to make. It is delicious and so easy. Thank you! I will share with my family
Get well soon!
I made one change to the recipe, I added homemade matzo balls. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m sure it was delish with the homemade matzo balls!
Best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever made. My son and I loved this recipe!
Glad it’s the best chicken noodle soup you’ve ever made!