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!!!
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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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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
Made a few changes cause of preference and misreading lol but overall the recipe is delicious! I accidentally used salted butter and I replaced the chicken breasts with thighs. I thought it said boneless skinless so next time I will try with bone for the extra flavor. Also did not use dill and used herbs de Provence spice. Great recipe and not super hard either !
Delicious & easy
One of the best simplest bone in chicken noodle soup recipes ever. Delicious
Damn Delicious does it again!! I first became a follower a few years ago when I was looking for a lo mein recipe. I love the recipes because they are simple and you can change to your needs! I don’t like dill so used parsley and thyme like others have recommended. I made a smaller batch and it still came out great! Only thing is I wish I would have put a little less salt in the beginning since the broth has it. Used a combo of bone broth and regular broth don’t know if that makes a difference.
And easy soup to make. Turned out good. Next time I’ll cut down or leave out on the fresh dill and add Italian herbs. The dill is pretty strong and adds a unique flavor some may (or may not ) care for. Overall 4 stars.
Delicious soup. I made it exactly according to the recipe. So good! Thank you.
Delicious recipe!! We added an extra 4 cups of stock for a brothier base. Also used skinless boneless thighs (subbed in 32oz bone broth) which is juicer and doesn’t dry out like chicken breast can. Amazing soup:)
This chicken soup is amazing! When I roast a chicken, I use every bit, including making bone broth from the carcass. I then use that broth as the base for this soup. I also use fresh rosemary from my garden instead of dill. Always a winner, even here in Florida! My elderly neighbors love it.
I use a rotisserie roasted chicken from the store. How do you make your broth? Do you do it separately and then add it in, or all together?
This is my new go-to chicken soup recipe. So simple and delicious. The whole family loved it, even my picky 8yo! Thank you.
Could you make this into a freezer meal?
This should freeze just fine EXCEPT I would leave out the noodles as they will absorb too much liquid and get gummy if sitting in the broth too long. So make the recipe minus the noodles, freeze it, and add cooked noodles just before serving. Learned that from my Italian friend.
Amazing! Best chicken soup I’ve ever had. I used leftover rotisserie chicken but otherwise I followed the recipe and it came out perfect. It had a wonderful depth of flavor, very satisfying.
Do not skip using bone in chicken breast and swap for rotisserie chicken, this is what sets this recipe apart IMO and I don’t think I can go back to pre cooked chicken after this. My only recommendation is to use a half bag of egg noodles (6oz dry) because they will absorb all that precious broth and you’ll end up with a stew instead of a soup!
Quick tip for lazy people like me: I used already cooked/canned chicken (2 12.5 cans), bouillon cubes to make the broth, dried parsley/dill (used 1/3 of what it called for fresh) and dried bay leaves. I cooked the veggies (using a tsp of celery salt since I didn’t have celery) then basically dumped in everything else except noodles, simmered for like 15 minutes, added noodles and simmered for another 10 and called it good. Very tasty and super easy (if you cheat like I did).
I was looking for the dried substitutes. Thanks for sharing!!!!
So this soup is so good! I only had dried parsley (2tsp) and dill weed (1 1/2tsp). And I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to add the lemon juice. I also added about 4oz of diced fresh spinach when I added the garlic. But I’m sure this would’ve been just as delicious if I would’ve followed it to a T. I will be making this again FOR SURE! Maybe tomorrow! Ha!
This is wonderful. Will make again
Does this freeze well?
Thanks