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!!
Table of Contents
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.
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
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.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
More Easy Chicken Soup Recipes:
Easy 30-Minute CREAMY Chicken Noodle Soup — Why have regular chicken noodle soup when you can have CREAMY instead? Pure comfort food at its finest! Ready in 30 minutes, an instant family favorite, and PERFECT for chilly weather!!
Easy 30-Minute Homemade White Chicken Chili – Hearty, healthy, loaded with tender chicken, and packed with bold flavor! Fast and easy comfort food that everyone loves! It’ll be on rotation all winter!
Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup – Chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, avocado, cheese, and addictively crunchy tortilla strips! Fast, easy weeknight meal, and better than from a restaurant!
Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Tortellini Soup – An fun spin on classic chicken noodle soup using cheese tortellini! Fast, easy, comfort food that just hits the spot! You’ll make it over and over again!
Chicken Pot Pie Soup — All the comfort food feels of pot pie, but in soup form! Rich, hearty, creamy and ready in just 30 minutes! Use canned biscuit dough to save time on busy weeknights when you’re craving a hot homemade meal!
Loaded Cheesy Chicken Chowder — Potatoes, chicken, carrots, corn and more!! Thick, creamy, rich, and wonderfully cheesy!! Fast and easy comfort food that everyone loves!!
Made this soup while not feeling well. I just have to say this was absolutely amazing. My husband has never really liked chicken noodle soup, however he wants to know when I am going to make it again, he loved it is an understament. Thank you for sharing this online.
Glad that this was a hit and that your husband loved the soup and wants you to make it again!
The KISS method at it’s best. Simple. Fast. Good.
I totally agree with you!
THANK YOU for this great recipe. I just had bowl of it for breakfast!
I’m not a fan of chunky veggies in soup, so I chopped onions, carrots and celery in Cuisinart before cooking. I didn’t have egg noodles so I used little over one half cup tiny macaroni called Acini Di Pepe. They’re so small they cook quickly. Amazing what a wee bit of lemon juice adds to flavor.
Glad that you enjoyed soup for breakfast this morning! I’ve been knowing to do that as well. Thanks for the five star review and glad you love it!
This soup recipe was easy and very good! My family loved it. I will definitely add this recipe to my favorites.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad your family loved it and that it will be in your rotation!
Absolutely amazing!! Just made this last night and ate it again for lunch today. It was even better today! Will definitely be making this again!!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that it was a hit and even better today!
Sooooo yummy!! Have made this multiple times. Great with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving too!
Yes it works great with leftover turkey as well. I actually have a recipe specifically for turkey noodle soup which is basically a carbon copy of this one except with turkey. Glad that you love the soup and thanks for the five star review!
Thanks for the amazing recipe, delicious and super fast. Loved it! 😋😋
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that it was amazing and super fast!
Wife & I were feeling under the weather and this really hit the spot!! Fantastic
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it hit the spot!
Feeling under the weather and made this tonight. Just what the doctor ordered!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad this hit the spot!
Delicious and easy. I’ve made this recipe twice and the only thing I added was a can of cream of chicken soup but it would’ve been great without it.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you’ve made it twice already!
Made this today & it turned out amazing (amazing is an understatement) 😍 tastes like my moms homemade chicken noodle soup she’d always make and everyone would devour within the same day. I forgot bay leaves so I didn’t add them, and I didn’t add the lemon juice but that’s just my personal preference. I also added the juice from the chicken I baked (bought a whole chicken from store baked at 350 degrees for 2 hrs) definitely added even more flavor in my opinion :)
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that it turned out amazing and tastes like your mom’s!
Not a cook. Overcast and cool weather. Feeling like we need a healthy meal. All healthy ingredients. Feeling proud of my momma self. Can’t wait for the family to try!!! Soup tester me thinks it’s gonna be good!!
So glad you gave it a try and think it’s going to be good!
i admit it, i can’t cook to save my life but i can follow a recipe! this is by far the best thing i’ve made, my husband and my aunt can’t stop raving about it!! i can’t wait to make this again but next time i’m gonna have to double the broth because the next day the soup was gone but there were plenty of noodles, veggies and chicken left although that was still beyond delicious i’m much rather have all of it :p thank you so much for this!!
Thanks for the five star review and glad you love it and were a superstar with your husband and aunt!
This recipe is perfect! I ended up boiling some chicken legs that I got on sale reserved the water it was boiled In, which is now extra broth! and ended up using that when I put a whole bag of egg noodles in. it’s delicious!
Glad you love it and great thinking to reserve that water for broth!
Good recipe but I added 96 oz of chicken broth and only 8 oz of egg noodles. 64 oz of broth is not enough for 12 oz of noodles!!
My family just really loves their noodles! But always do what works best for you.
I’ve made this twice now and I love the flavor and I love that it has way less salt than a can of chicken noodle soup. But I have had troubles with the noodles both times. Each time when we have the soup on the second day, they’re so soggy and broken up that it’s like eating mush. I cannot find noodles that are as thick as yours! Can you share what brand you use for the egg noodles?
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad love the soup!
I honestly just use the store brand of noodles that my local grocery store (Ralph’s) carries. Maybe try a different grocery store or an amazon search to come up with another brand that will hold up better.