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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Soup was good, but recipe took way longer than stated. Will make again giving myself more time to prepare
Everyone works at different paces and rates in the kitchen. Glad you enjoyed the soup.
Made this tonight. It came out soooo good. Didn’t have enough chicken broth on hand so substituted with 2 cups of veggie broth. I used no yolk egg noodles since that’s what I had on hand. Can’t wait to make this again. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that you will make this again!
I’ve been making this for about a year now. About once a week all fall and winter. My whole family loves it. The only changes I’ve made are less noodles and I add some baby golden potatoes. Yum!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this has been on your rotation for awhile!
First time I have ever made chicken soup. I picked this recipe because it sounded easy to make… it was!!!!
My husband and I agreed it was the best chicken noodle soup we have ever had!
I did increase the chicken broth by 32oz… it was still a very hearty soup!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that the first time that you ever tried making chicken soup that it turned out to be the best chicken soup you’ve ever had!
This was the most flavorful chicken soup I have ever made! I used rice instead of noodles (no noodles in the house).
5 stars for sure
Thanks for the five star review and glad it’s the most flavorful chicken soup you’ve ever made!
What constitutes a serving, how much soup?
About 1 cup give or take.
Would a freezer bag work
Not sure…soup in a bag sounds like a potential huge mess to me.
I freeze all my soups in freezer weight ziplocks. Use a straw to suck out the air. Place on cookie sheet so lies and freezes flat. I fold the zipper part up against edge of cookie sheet, just because. Saves tons of space when you can stack bag upon bag once frozen.
Thanks for the info!
What would you freeze it in ? Would I need to add more broth and how would I defrost it
Freeze it in a plastic container or a glass container, I recommend freezing it in smaller amounts rather than the whole batch at once, no you do not need to add more broth and simply defrosted by putting it on your counter and waiting for it to get up to room temperature.
Made this recipe tonight! It was delicious and easy to double the recipe we are a family of 9. Everyone wanted seconds. I added a 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric for color and more earthiness. I also used 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Thank you for such a easy recipe to follow
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was easy to double to feed your whole family!
Great recipe! The only thing I would change is less noodles just so there is more broth. Other than that, it’s yummy, great flavor :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and definitely feel free to add more broth as you see fit and/or less noodles. You may have to play with the seasoning/salt levels.
Agree…delicious soup but way too many noodles for me. I will add some more broth or take out some of the noodles. Thank you for sharing.
This is the LITERAL best chicken noodle soup I have never had! It has quickly become my comfort food and we make it several times a month! Thanks for sharing 😊
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this is the best chicken noodle soup you’ve ever had!
I have made this soup many times! I don’t think there’s a better or easier recipe out there. My granddaughter loves rice so I make mine with rice in place of noodles, some of the time! Thank you for a truly delicious recipe! BTW – it freezes great! Love having it available quickly if needed!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this is a favorite of yours and your granddaughters!
So delicious! My kids loved it. Very good!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad your kids loved it!
This chicken noodle soup is absolutely delicious! My family loves this recipe and they are super picky eaters. This is my go to recipe when I’m bringing in meals for other families too. Always a favorite!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is a go to recipe for you!
WOW! I made this Chicken Noodle Soup today and it is one of the best recipes I’ve tasted and made in a long time. It was easy to make and also tasted better than some restaurants. I will definitely be making it again. Please let me know if you have other soup receipes.
Glad you loved it and will make it again!
This soup was delicious!! I ended up having to use extra chicken broth but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. Had some extra so I’m freezing some of it for a later date. Will definitely be making this again!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved this soup and that you’ll make it again!