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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Soooo yummy and tastes like it has been cooked for hours because of all of the flavor. I personally prefer smaller noodles, like ditalini, for myself and my kids! We find the bigger noodles overtake the soupÂ
Soooo yummy and tastes like it has been cooked for hours because of all of the flavor. I personally prefer smaller noodles, like ditalini, for myself and my kids! We find the bigger noodles overtake the soupÂ
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you got flavor that tasted like it had been cooked for hours! Good job using the noodles your family likes, too. That’s the most important!
I absolutely love this recipe. I do find it heavy on the noodles so I do extra veggies. Make sure you wait until the end to add the salt a little at a time so you don’t over do it. I love the lemon flavor so I add alot more than it calls for.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that you love this recipe and customize it for your preferences!
Oh, that was Sooooooo goood! I can’t wait till tomorrow to have another bowl! I have never ever made homemade chicken noodle soup, and this one happened to fill the bill for what I had always envisioned what it should be.
Oh, that was Sooooooo goood! I can’t wait till tomorrow to have another bowl! I have never ever made homemade chicken noodle soup, and this one happened to fill the bill for what I had always envisioned what it should be.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad to hear you’re excited to have another bowl and that this fits the bill for you!
Now I know why they call homemade chicken noodle soup “Comfort Food”
I’ve never made it before, and decided to try this recipe. Such a lovely soup, I made a slightly larger batch of this recipe, with a few minor deviations and it still came out glorious.
I didn’t have thyme, or fresh parsley, I did however chop in some fresh celery leaves, to no bad effect. I used wide egg noodles and found that at times I was doing more chewing/tasting of the starchy noodle – I could probably do with standard egg noodles. But in the end, when it was soup time, I went through two large bowlfuls, without even realizing it, it was THAT GOOD!!!! Thank you, this will be my go-to for Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from now on!
This was so yummy! My pregnant daughter can’t keep much down but loved this. Doubled the recipe so she can eat it the rest of the week. The whole family enjoyed it!
This was so yummy! My pregnant daughter can’t keep much down but loved this. Doubled the recipe so she can eat it the rest of the week. The whole family enjoyed it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am so glad to hear this is helping your daughter and she can keep it down. I had a horrific pregnancy and couldn’t keep anything down for months so I totally feel for her. Glad the rest of your family enjoyed this too!
Amazing flavour, I’m glad I chose this recipe after searching through many, it was just what I needed on a day that I’m feeling under the weather. Thanks so much!
Amazing flavour, I’m glad I chose this recipe after searching through many, it was just what I needed on a day that I’m feeling under the weather. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad it was amazing for you! Hope you’re feeling better.
I always wanted to make homemade chicken soup. I used to think it was hard but now that Ive done it Im glad I did took me no time at all and its delicious.Â
5 stars all around from my husband, 18 month old daughter and me. This is some really good chicken noodle soup! Thanks for sharing.
I have some cartons of vegetable broth to use up – can I sub. those for the chicken broth? Maybe add in some extra broth made with Tone chicken paste & water for some chicken flavor? And is there a way to cook some boneless skinless chicken breasts in water to cook them? Thanks!!
Yes you can do all those subs. Just Google how to poach chicken and do that. Or poach them in the broth before adding the noodles.
I’ve never left a recipe review before, but this has just become such a staple in my house! I don’t know what it is, but this soup is incredible. It has such depth of flavor for a 30-min soup. My kids devour it, and I’ve shared it with so many people who love it now, too. Outstanding!
I’ve never left a recipe review before, but this has just become such a staple in my house! I don’t know what it is, but this soup is incredible. It has such depth of flavor for a 30-min soup. My kids devour it, and I’ve shared it with so many people who love it now, too. Outstanding!
Thanks for the 5 star review and for taking the time to leave a review and comment! Glad that this has become a staple for your family and that you’ve shared the recipe with others, too!
Easy, fast & absolutely deliciousÂ
Easy, fast & absolutely deliciousÂ
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was fast, easy, and delish!