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
Did you make this recipe?
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Wow, delicious! I was a little hesitant to add the lemon and dill but I decided to follow the recipe…it adds a light bright flavour to the soup that can’t be matched. And I didn’t have to add any extra chicken flavour that I usually have to with chicken or turkey soup. A winner!
I used turkey instead and it came out wonderfully.
This is a great recipe for the covid blues. While I haven’t tried this out yet, I added this to my recipe book to try out. I’m an Oakland California caterer so I know a good recipe when I see one. I’m definitely going to give this one a try in the very near future!
Wow – SO good and very easy. I doubled the celery and carrots and cooked the noodles separately as others recommended. Very nourishing for sick days!
The best chicken soup I’ve ever had by a long shot! Used dried herbs and was limited on time after work so I used rotisserie chicken. It was such a hit!
This is the BEST chicken soup recipe!! My go to every time someone in my family is sick or it’s just a soup kind of night 🙂
My family LOVES this recipe! It’s so fast and easy and always a hit!
Such a solid recipe. I’ve made it tons of times and it always hits the spot. The dill is the unique ingredient that sets it apart. I use chicken breasts (1-1.5 breasts is plenty) instead of bone-in.
I made this today for My Sister and it really is a great recipe. Really turned out good. I did cook the noodles separately though. Great recipe thank you for sharing with all of us. My Family loved it!!
My husband was sick and I decided to help him feel a little better by making him some chicken noodle soup. I found this recipe and it was a hit with the entire family!
Great recipe and really a nice one. Will surely try this
This is the best recipe. Instead of chicken broth I boil 8 cups of water and add 2 knorr chicken bouillon cubes. I also use orzo instead of egg noodles and YES don’t add the noodles to the soup! Cook them separate unless you want all your broth sucked up. DO NOT skip the fresh parsley, dill and lemon juice!!
This soup is legit. I told my husband we were having the leftovers tonight and he said “YES!! Oh my gosh I love that soup!”
So there you go! I did alter a few things because I am a mom and need fast meals. 1) I used dried herbs, 1 t. parsley and 1 t. dill, 2) I used thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts and boiled for 20 mins, 3) I had to add extra broth before serving and tonight when I reheated.
It is indeed damn delicious!
This a very simple and yummy soup! I didn’t have fresh herbs, used Penzey’s Bouquet Garni instead. Also seasoned chicken before putting in pot to cook with Penzey’s Ruth Ann’s, then again after I cut it up to return to the pot. Served with Trader Joe’s cornbread.
Wonderful recipe, my family loved it! But I did it a little different with the chicken, since I can buy whole ones where I live. I’m not really a fan of skinless chicken breasts. I made my own stock and cut up the whole chicken into small pieces, with the skin, for more flavor.
Delicious! As an added touch, I sprinkled a good dose of Pecorino Romano cheese on the soup before voraciously consuming with a nice chunk of French bread!
Delicious recipe!! But question… the recipe says 8 cups of broth and the video showed 3 ???
This is absolutely the BEST Chicken Noodle Soup EVER!!!! I make a lot of soup, as I live in upstate NY. It’s April and still snowing. UGH!!! Anyway, I love this recipe and my husband said it is the BEST soup I have ever made!!! I was skeptical about the dill, but it really adds a great taste to the soup. I left out the parsley the 2nd time I made it though. Both times I I had to add more broth, probably because I had a little more chicken than the recipe called for. I used No Yokes Broad noodles too. This is the 3rd time making it. Thank you for such a yummy recipe and it is a keeper!!! Again, I love it!!
I live in Alaska and can’t always get bone in chicken breasts. But I did snag a whole fryer chicken at 50% off. I seasoned with salt pepper thyme and basil and used my air fryer. While that was cooking I used the gizzard, neck, and veggies to start a broth. Once done I added cooked chicken to the veggies and put the bones in the pot of broth simmering. Worked out well. I’ve never added dill or lemon before but that definitely makes a difference!!!! The whole family loved it and said it was the best soup ever. Thank you for your recipe!!!
Hello, your soup is super tasty… Thank you for posting this great recipe.
I make soup all the time. I even made this soup before and thought…meh what’s the big deal. However I did leave out the lemon and dill…big mistake!
I made it again using all of the ingredients….it was damn delicious for sure! My husband and son raved about it! Yum!
This is the first time I’ve made chicken noodle soup from scratch and will never go back to canned chicken noodle soup again.