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.
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Made this soup a couple of weeks ago and it was delicious. I agree that the fresh dill is a MUST! I’m making it again this weekend but was curious if it’s okay to freeze it or keep it in the fridge if I make it 1-2 days ahead of when I will be serving it?
The store was out of fresh dill, so I put a few springs of rosemary, thyme, and parsley to cook with the soup. It was delicious! Best chicken noodle soup I’ve made. The bone in makes all the difference. I can never find skinless with bone in but the skin doesn’t bother me. I’ve even made it with drumsticks and that makes the cook time less.
I’m not going to lie! I was unsure of the lemon & dill especially because I tasted it before adding and it was already delicious. But, I do love both so I went ahead and threw it all in. Hands down best chicken noodle soup I’ve had! So good!!
This was definitely a good starter recipe. I will add more herbs next time as it was a little bland. Added more lemon juice as well at the end – made a huge difference. Will continue to use this as my starting point though!
This is my Go To recipe when were wanting a good pot of soup. Only thing i change is seasoning the chicken with italiano seasoning before cooking to give it more flavor! other then that 10/10 in our books 🙂
This is definitely a keeper! I did modify, I combined this recipe with Damn Delicious’s Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. Essentially I added a teaspoon of dried sage with the garlic, 2 tablespoons of flour before the stock, frozen peas with the noodles, and then a 1/2 cup of heavy cream off the heat. Bone in breasts make all the difference flavor wise. Best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had and especially warming with some sriracha squeezed in. Yum!!!
First time for this recipe and it’s so good!
I used dry dill, it seemed fine.
Will make again!
Ok I make this once a month it’s perfect. Absolutely perfect. I’ve done it with chicken breasts too. Just make it exactly how it says and you’ll make the best chicken soup you ever had. Pro tip. Buy an orange instead of a lemon. And squeeze some juice in at the end. It’s next level.
Delicious. Love the dill – this will be my go to recipe.
My new favorite chicken noodle soup. The dill takes this chicken soup to a whole new level. I cooked the chicken and noodles separately because I dont like the chicken foamy water in my soups but this was great. My husband and son loved it too. Definitely replacing my old recipe.
I followed this recipe (mostly, I added some white pepper as well and didn’t really have 2.5 lbs of chicken) and the soup was spot on delicious! Thanks!
What if you don’t have the bay leaves?
No big. Thyme works and is used in chicken soup all the time. I’d use a tablespoon of dried, which is three teaspoons. You might use as little as one teaspoon. Soup won’t look as clean, cuz you can’t remove the thyme like you can bay leaves. But after you add the fresh parsley and dill, it’ll be beautiful. And btw the dill isn’t necessary either. It’s a nice idea, but it’s chicken soup without it.
I love this recipe I have made it several times now. I always end up doubling it but the lemon juice just make it so delicious it’s addicting.
I love the way this recipe embodies all of the feels you crave to experience when eating Chicken Noodle soup! It’s a family favorite!
Unique and superior and just Damned Delicious. Dill happens to be one of my favorite herbs.
This is the BEST chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had! The lemon & dill really bring this basic soup to a whole new level. I’m done , I’m done looking for the perfect recipe! Thank you! FYI: I made it exactly as written.
I think this is a REALLY great base recipe. I used chicken thighs boneless/skinless, I used an extra cup of water, chicken bullion, thyme, rosemary, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper, and extra bay leaves. I’m not a huge dill or parsley fan but this is sooooooo good!
This is my go to chicken soup recipe! Very easy to make. The ONLY thing I change is add more veggies since I love veggies.
This recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup is the Best! I made a gallon at a time and take it in to serve at a soup kitchen. They love it. I use several chicken backs and thigh meat along with vegetable broth and chicken broth. The dill and lemon juice just adds a sparkling zing to the soup. 5 STAR +!
5 stars for the best chicken soup, EVER!