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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Thawed some boneless Chicken last night to grill out. But changed my mind for supper at last moment. What to do with the 3 chicken breasts the next day..? Chicken noodle soup. No broth, no need it turned out cause I boiled the chicken , made my own broth. Big chunks of Carrot, Onion, Celery, with all the spices you suggested. Never thought to add lemon and dill to this soup. Really made a taste difference. Tossed in some Peas at the moment before serving. House smells wonderful and it’s raining outside. But who cares. Great Soup. Netflix and it’s a put your feet up end to the day.
Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Delicious chicken soup. The only changes I made were adding more carrot, celery and onion and broth. I also added a pinch of cayenne pepper since we’re all sick. Definitely making this again!!
Flavor was DELICIOUS, going forward I’ll reduce the amount of Dill and Parsley to 2 teaspoons instead of Tablespoons.
Every time I have to feed a large group (usually when we go skiing) I make this soup. I increase the garlic, lemon juice and dill because my family likes extra flavor. Everyone loves it. I’m making it today just to have on hand this weekend. It’s the first soup I make when kids get sick. Thank you for sharing the lemon and dill ideas! I love them.
My kids and I got the flu recently and were craving a warm, delicious chicken noodle soup. This was so easy to make and was so delicious! The dill and lemon really make the difference here – adds so much depth of flavor. I used less noodles and more carrots and celery, and roasted a few chicken breasts separately to add to it. This was SO good, will definitely be making this again!
So delicious. I used chicken thighs and added one tablespoon of dried thyme.
First time making this recipe and it’s delicious! Will probably use a little less noodles and a bit more carrots and celery next time.
Delicious! I’ve made this several times and all versions have come out well (even if I’m missing an ingredient or two)! This has become my go to for chicken noodle soup. Latest hack I’ve done is subbing the chicken for rotisserie chicken (where I’m in a pinch) and just boil for less time. Yum!
Delish!! I changed a few things. Pre-cooked the chicken so I could use my own broth. Put a rosemary sprig inside the chicken and boiled it whole. Seasoned the chicken w salt, garlic salt, pepper and course ground pepper. Added about 5 cloves of garlic because you can always have more garlic. Other than thag everything was the same. Delish!!! Oh and 2 more tablespoons of butter (I’m southern).
The dill, parsley and lemon are game changers!! So yummy!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I’ve been making it for years, and it’s a hit every time!
So easy and delicious
Quick, easy and Delicious.
I double or triple the amount of carrots, celery and onions to thicken up the soup.
Where can you buy bone in chicken breasts?
At the grocery store
I have the same issue. I haven’t seen bone-in breasts in forever. It’s been many years.
My forever go to chicken noodle soup
Absolutely delicious!!
Love this recipe. I make it for my SO when he had a cold a few years ago, and now it’s his mom’s to go chicken/turkey noodle soup! It’s a hit!!
Great dish. We made it with boneless skinless chicken thighs.
This is my go to chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s amazing and even my picky eaters love it!
I just made this. Wonderful! Definitely a recipe to keep
Fabulous chicken noodle soup! I’m making it again tonight for the second time in two weeks. My whole family loved it… my son-in-law said “don’t change a thing!” The addition of the dill gives it a fresher flavor than most of the other recipes out there. Thank you for sharing this one!