Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
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Classic chicken noodle soup that will leave you feeling so good, so warm, so cozy. Perfect for sick days and cold nights!!!
Featured Comment
The only change I made was using orzo b/c I was out of noodles, but I liked it even better than traditional noodles personally. (I’m a chicken and rice fan but use noodles for the rest of the family).
It’s the dead of winter. 33 degrees F all week. Snow and ice piles everywhere. And it’s only January, meaning we basically have about 3-4 months of winter left.
And now that I am officially a Midwest resident, that basically translates to having this chicken noodle soup on the regular all. winter. long. It’s so warm, so cozy, and so soothing during these chilly nights.
Now this recipe uses bone-in, skinless chicken breasts which means it will take a little longer than usual for the chicken to cook through but it will yield the most flavorful stock and the most tender chicken bites (so it’s absolutely worth the extra time), doctored up with fresh dill and freshly squeezed lemon juice for a little bit of jazz. SO SO GOOD.
tips and tricks for success
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Use bone-in chicken. While boneless, skinless chicken can certainly be used, bone-in chicken will add a ton more flavor and richness to the soup while keeping the meat tender.
- Use egg noodles. Egg noodles are typically a top choice as they are flat and wide, becoming very tender and fluffy, easily absorbing the broth and soaking in all the flavors.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice will elevate your chicken noodle soup, adding a fresh, bright flavor and balancing out all the saltiness and richness of the soup.
what to serve with chicken noodle soup
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
You can use either chicken broth or chicken stock but always season, to taste, as store-bought broth is often saltier than store-bought stock. Broth is made from meat and vegetables while stock is often lower sodium and thicker than broth, and is made from bones and vegetables.
Egg noodles are a common choice for chicken noodle soup but elbow macaroni, orzo, ditalini or fettuccine (broken in bite-sized pieces) can be used as well.
The egg noodles are cooked directly in the soup, absorbing all the flavorful broth. But if you are planning for leftovers or freezing, the noodles should be cooked and stored separately.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the noodles (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked noodles when serving.
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Kosher salt freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 ½ pounds bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 ½ cups wide egg noodles
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add chicken and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken and let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces, discarding bones.
- Stir in chicken and pasta and cook until tender, about 6-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in parsley, dill and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Video
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Family loved it, thanks a million. Only thing I messed up on which didn’t seem to hinder anything is I cut the chicken and placed it with all the savory ingredients for about 35 minutes then added the noodles for about 7 minutes then added the lemon juice, parsley, and dill.
I’ve made this before and it’s absolutely THEE best!!! The bone-in chicken breasts make a big difference!!! My adult son (special needs) said, “Mom, you’re not even sick!” And I replied, “I know, but it’s just such the best comfort food when the days get shorter and the nights get chillier!” I’m currently using Noom now, though, and curious about the nutritional values (i.e. calories, fat, sodium, carbs, etc.)
Fabulous. Wasn’t excited about the dill when I read the recipe, but decided to make as directed at least the first time. Totally love the flavors. My husband loved the leftovers; said the flavors were richer. This recipe is a Keeper!
This is the best chicken soup I have ever had! I have struggled for years to make the “perfect” chicken noodle soup and this recipe is the Perfect soup. Thank you!
How are the leftovers the next day? Should I keep the noodles separate if I anticipate leftovers?
My changes as followed – a good Greek olive oil instead of butter, dry dill and parsley because I didn’t have fresh and hiloptes ( small Greek pasta squares) instead of long noodles. I cut up the chicken breast so the soup wouldn’t take too long to cook. All turned out awesomely and glad you posted it… thank you
I am not a fan of dill, so I cut that out, and the lemon juice as I felt it countered the dill flavor so it wasn’t very needed. I used better than bullion broth and made 12 cups so I had more broth. I cut out the bone in breast, cubed up boneless skinless. Flavor wise I went with more I add a few more veggies, and used and homemade compound butter to soften my onion…. This soup truly was delicious even with all my own twist. Great for my COVID sick hubby.
Yum!! Do all chicken soups have lemon juice and dill?! Wow, those two flavors make the soup delicious!! Definitely a keeper… now I hope my family loves it as much as me.
I made this recipe- superb!!
Great recipe. I tweaked it a little by doing a half recipe and by using thighs instead of breasts and a little more or a little less of the seasonings but stayed close enough to the original recipe and it was awesome. The pot was devoured. I’ll make this again and again.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
What a wonderful soup! Thank you!
I really enjoyed this soup. Only thing I did differently was substitute the chicken breasts with leftover rotisserie chicken pieces….delicious
Umm ummm GOOD, oh and DAMN DELICIOUS!
Just a question…
I’d like to make this ahead of time as a drop off dinner for a friends. Would you not add the noodles as I cook it bc they’ll absorb too much liquid as it sits?
Thanks!
Simple to make, quick, and the best Chicken Soup I have ever made. My wife said I better not forget how to make this. I did add more carrots and two small zucchini.
Thank you for making me look good.
Very tasty soup.
Absolutely delicious. Easy to make. I added extra 32 oz of chicken broth as I like a soup with more broth. I also added lemon zest with the lemon juice, as well as splash of Marsala.
I have never used chicken broth to make home made chicken soup. I feel it defeats the purpose of home made. Has anyone just used water in place of broth?
You will not get a very flavourful soup using only water in this recipe. Then you will have to add bouillon cubes anyway to add some flavour. If you have ever poached chicken and then tasted the cooking water, you will find it is practically tasteless. Easier and much better o make this recipe as written.
I make broth from a whole chickens bones in my pressure cooker. Doing it this way you won’t need to use bullion. Plus you can use the meat from the chicken in your soup. It is more work but it’s worth it.
I use just water because I don’t like the flavor of chicken stock and it turns out just great.
Instead of using chicken breast with bone in, I use two chicken drumsticks with bone in instead. That adds all the chicken flavor.
I simmer celery, carrots, onion and once those are simmered I add in two chicken drumsticks, cover with water and add in two bay leaves.
I also want to add that for flavoring I add a generous amount black pepper and some salt to the veggies while simmering.
I’ve never cooked a chicken noodle soup that anyone wanted to eat. I finally learned how to make a super tasty one that’s quick and easy. Thank you!
My mother and me got really sick. I was tired of eating canned soup and looked up easy homemade chicken soup. Came across this recipe and knew I had to make it! The food was really good!! For the soup base I did tweak it a bit by adding chicken stock and bone broth. After letting the chicken cook I notice the soup went down a bit so my mother added another chicken broth. The recipe is good for a family of 6-8