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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Very excited to give this a try. One question though. Can i make the soup a few hours ahead of time and just add the noodle when I’m ready?
Yes that should be fine.
My husband wasn’t feeling well so I found this quick recipe. He thought it was great! It took a bit longer than 30 min, but still fairly quick. Overall a really good and simple recipe, leaving room to make adjustments to taste.
The changes I made were minimal:
Used 4 garlic cloves. I found the 64 oz of broth didn’t even cover the uncooked noodles so I had to add another can of broth plus a can of water. I added a bit more of the herbs rather than salt since my husband is on a low sodium diet. The only other thing I’d do differently next time is use less noodles and/or add more of the veggies.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you enjoyed the recipe overall!
My son just had his wisdom teeth removed and I needed to make him something nutritious and soft to eat. I followed the recipe but made a few minor adjustments. I used leftover dark turkey meat instead of chicken, cooked soup longer to get the veggies really soft, cooked noodles separately so they wouldn’t get too mushy since I wanted to cook the soup longer, and did not add the optional lemon juice. He loved it and so do I. Thanks for a good and quick chicken noodle soup recipe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you and your son both loved it!
I made this recipe exactly as written (well, except I used different noodles since I didn’t have egg noodles) and it turned out so tasty! We all loved it. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was so tasty for you!
Best noodle soup for rainy season. Can I use pork, beef or seafood instead of chicken? I will make this for my family. Thanks sharing.
Yes you can but you will have to experiment exactly what cuts, types, how long to simmer for, etc. since I haven’t tried those options.
Great recipe! Used less of indicated for egg noodles and three cartons of chicken bone broth. Delicious! My family loved it. Thank you!
Thanks for the five star review and glad it was delicious and your family loved it!
This looks yummy and making tonight! Too cook the noodles first then add? Thanks!!
Step 5, you add the noodles raw, they cook in the broth.
The best chicken noodle soup we have ever eaten. I used homemade chicken broth from a pasture raised chicken… yum!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad it’s the best chicken noodle soup you’ve ever eaten!
I made this tonight and both my husband and I loved it. I halved the recipe and used whole grain elbow macaroni. The flavor was fantastic.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it worked out great with elbow macaroni and that you both loved it!
Averie, thank you for sharing this! I have made this so many times. Everyone that tries it, loves it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad this is always a hit!
That recipe looks so yummy! I’ll have to try that one. Thanks for sharing.
What a nice idea! I made this soup last week and my husband even took some for lunch the next day. I will be making it this evening as well.
I’m glad this turned out so well that you made it again!
Probably the best chicken noodle soup I’ve had. You won’t be disappointed!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it was probably the best chicken noodle soup you’ve had!
Wow!!! This soup is yummy!! Can’t wait for my girls to have it when they come home from school today…
so tasty and easy to make… only twist I made wa a squeezed an orange in it… something my grandma would do to her soup when we were not feeling good!! 🤗🤗🤗
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this came out so great! I usually use a bit of lemon but I can see the orange being a nice touch especially if it’s something your grandma did.
Averie, thank you! I just made this recipe tonight and everyone loved it! Very easy and delicious! Thank you!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it was very easy, delicious, and a hit with everyone!
Excellent! The flavor of the herbs lingers in your mouth! I like some kick so I would add some cayenne or something. Way too many noodles tho- I would cut the noodles in half.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad overall you found the soup to be excellent!