This Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is exactly what you need on a cool day to warm you from the inside out. Filled with juicy chicken and tender noodles, this easy chicken noodle only takes about 30 minutes to make.
P.S. Our secret to seasoning the soup at the end is worth discovering.
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Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest. You’ll love the easy prep with this classic chicken noodle soup. There’s no need to trim the chicken ahead of time since the fat comes off easily after it’s boiled.
Chicken Noodle Soup Video Tutorial
This simple Chicken Noodle Soup is nutritious, hearty, and makes the perfect dish for busy families. My sister Anna came up with this recipe and first introduced me to it when she sent me a pot of soup after our first child was born over 10 years ago. We’ve been making it ever since and even made a Creamy Chicken Soup version!
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
This Chicken Noodle Soup calls for traditional ingredients and a slight twist on the seasonings.
- Chicken: The secret to super tender chicken without crazy long cooking times is using chicken thighs! You can use boneless or bone-in chicken. Thighs also provide extra flavor and don’t dry out like chicken breast does.
- Broth: Our Homemade Chicken Broth is a delicious addition to this soup and provides a rich flavor. However, if you are in a pinch a low-sodium store-bought broth can work.
- Vegetables: Onions and celery sauteed together provide the traditional base for chicken noodle soup flavor. Diced carrots are another traditional vegetable. You can also add any other fresh or frozen veggies you would like.
- Seasonings: Dill and freshly-pressed garlic brighten the flavor palette and I love adding Mrs. Dash (no-salt seasoning).
Pro Tip: When sauteing ingredients for soups, use oil in the pan instead of butter. Butter will solidify when you refrigerate the soup.
The Best Noodles for Soup
I love using nice spiral noodles or egg noodles in my chicken noodle soup. These noodles plump up nicely and make the soup feel really hearty compared to other noodle varieties. Make sure you don’t overcook your noodles, especially if storing the soup or they will get mushy.
For Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup
This soup is so simple and easy to modify for different food intolerances. To make it gluten-free, just sub your favorite gluten-free noodles.
The Benefits of Homemade Broth
Homemade Chicken Broth adds rich flavor to any soup or recipe that calls for chicken stock or broth. According to Medical News Today (2023), bone broth is highly nutritious and may help reduce inflammation and improve gut health.
When you cook the homemade broth in an instant pot – you can have it ready in about 2 hours. It also makes all the difference in how good your soup tastes.
How to Make Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
This easy chicken soup takes about 30 minutes to make. The SECRET to amping up the flavor happens in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Adding dill and a pressed clove of garlic is what my Mother does for nearly all of her soups and I have adopted this in my own kitchen. It is a brilliant and easy way to make your chicken soup taste fantastic!
- Cook the Chicken: In a large soup pot, combine water, Chicken Broth, and salt. Bring to a boil then add chicken thighs and cook uncovered 20 minutes.
- Saute Veggies: In a large skillet saute onion and celery in oil until golden then add to the soup pot
- Add Noodles and Veggies: Add 1/2 lb pasta and sliced carrots to the pot and cook 15 min at a low boil.
- Shred Chicken: As the pasta cooks, remove thighs from the pot and shred with forks (discarding bones and fat), then add the chicken back to the pot.
- Season: In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add Mrs. Dash, dill, and press in 1 garlic clove, and add salt to taste. Simmer another minute then turn off the heat.
Storing Leftover Chicken Noodle Soup
We love making a big pot of chicken soup and enjoying it throughout the week. Keep in mind, if the soup is stored too long, the noodles will turn mushy. If storing longer than 1-2 days, it’s best to store the soup and the noodles separately and recombine right before serving.
- Refrigerated: Cool the soup completely and store covered in the refrigerator. Once noodles are in, the soup should be enjoyed within 2 days. The soup will keep up to a week if you store the noodles separately and combine when reheated.
- To Freeze: If you plan to freeze the soup, wait to add the noodles when you reheat the soup. Chicken soup can be frozen up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Recombine noodles and soup in a pot or microwave-safe bowl and heat to the desired temperature on the stovetop or in the microwave. If using uncooked noodles, reheat on the stove until the mixture boils and noodles are tender.
More Delicious Soup Recipes:
We love soups, for the ease in preparation and their fun variety. Be sure to give some of our other popular soups a try. P.S. If you love chicken soup, our Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup is a must-try!
- Zuppa Toscana: popular Olive Garden copycat!
- Beef Stew: delicious slow-roasted flavor
- Potato Soup: cheesy, creamy base with bacon
- Broccoli Cheese Soup: quick and easy comfort food
- Chicken and Rice Soup: packed with flavor
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, skins removed (bone-in or boneless)
- 8 cups chicken broth, we used low sodium
- 6 cups water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, to saute vegetables
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium celery sticks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced into rings
- 6 oz rotini pasta
- 3 Tbsp fresh or frozen dill
- 1 tsp Mrs. Dash, or your favorite salt-free seasoning
- 1 Tbsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, combine 6 cups water with 8 cups chicken broth and 1 Tbsp sea salt. Bring to a boil then add chicken thighs and boil partially covered 20 min while you prep the vegetables, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
- In a large skillet over medium/high heat, add 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté onion and celery until softened then transfer to the pot.
- Add pasta and sliced carrots to the soup pot and continue cooking for 15 min at a low boil or until pasta is at the desired softness.
- While pasta is cooking, remove chicken thighs from the pot and use either forks or your hands to shred the chicken, discarding any bones and fat which should come off easily. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
- Season soup with 1 tsp Mrs. Dash (or your favorite seasoning) and more salt to taste if needed. Press in 1 garlic clove. Finally, add 3 Tbsp dill and remove from heat. Enjoy!
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Tasty, and can recommend this recipe! One reminder is to 100% read the recipe amounts carefully. I had dried dill seasoning and saw the 3 tablespoons amount on the recipe, and put that amount in without thinking… The recipe called for fresh dill and not the dried form, which is more concentrate. My soup ended up having way too much dill of course. My bad!
Hi Sophie! Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
How would you suggest using a crockpot for this recipe? I don’t have an instant pot and need a delicious set and forget chicken soup recipe….
Hi Erika! I have not made this in a crockpot to advise.
The video has different amounts of broth / water than the written one?
Hi Craig, Follow the written recipe. Sometimes we make updates to the recipe but cannot edit the video since it has already been filmed.
Hi Natasha! Going to give this a try. Can I use rotisserie chicken for the meat? How would you alter the recipe if using rotisserie chicken? Thank you for your great content.
Hi David, that will work. Here’s what one of my readers wrote: “have been making this soup forever, definitely my favourite.
I do cheat and just buy a rotisserie chicken and use the chicken breast.”
I’ve been using your recipe for a long time! The date says 2020 but I’m sure this was posted around ten years ago?
I’ve got a pot on now. Thank you‼
Hi, we occasionally republish recipes when we improve the recipe or change the photos. This is an oldie but a goodie.
Delicious! 3 of us are sick and I needed an easy chicken soup. I used turkey bone broth that I had in the freezer from Thanksgiving (I’m in Canada so it was just a month ago, not last year), had to make a copycat Mrs Dash, and I forgot to add the garlic but it was still delicious! I over salted a bit so it got a squeeze of lemon juice and good grating of fresh ginger to offset it but I don’t think it changed the flavour significantly. My son’s told me they prefer this to my usual chicken soup (that stung but at least they ate). Thank you!
I’m so glad that your son loved it! Thanks for sharing your experience trying our recipe, Ruth.
This chicken soup recipe is the bomb. Best chicken soup I’ve ever made. My company raved over it Md I was so proud. Thank you Natasha for supplying such an easy recipe with such a bang to the taste buds.
You’re very welcome, Denise! I’m glad it was enjoyed!
Terrific recipe! easy to make and tasty. Made it for my sister who is undergoing chemo treatments. She was able to enjoy it and said it was delicious. Thank you.
I also make a bunch of your other recipes.
That’s great, Walt! I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
I have never made one of your recipes that wasn’t super good! I love your lasagne ( the only one that ever cut nicely for me) thankyou for all your hard work.🥴👍
Aaaw, thank you so much! That is very inspiring for me, I appreciate it.
This recipe is horrible. Noodles turned mushy, there was zero flavor, and I have to throw the whole thing out.
Heather, it wasn’t mushy for us and we’ve made this recipe a lot of times now. Make sure you don’t overcook your noodles, especially if storing the soup or they will get mushy.
Love this soup! Made it with chicken bone broth and added zucchini and yellow beans to the recipe. So tasty, will definitely make again.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for feedback!
This is the best Chicken Noodle Soup I’ve ever made. Didnt have any leftovers. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This is gonna be a meal I make often.
That’s wonderful, Moncie! I’m so glad you found a new one to add to your menu!
Sorry my rating was supposed to be 5 stars.
Also passed on to a few friends, same reaction “loved the soup”
That’s great! Thank you, Gail.
Have been making this soup forever, definitely my favourite.
I do cheat and just buy a rotisserie chicken and use the chicken breast.
Love the flavour the dill adds.
Love the soup!!
Thanks Natasha
Hi Gail! I’m so glad you love the recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Question: is 6 oz of pasta measured by weight or volume? Rotini pasta normally comes in 16 oz per box so should I use a measuring cup to get 6 oz or food scale? Thank you.
Hi Zhanna, dry pasta is sold by weight. I hope that helps!
Wonderful! We would always use Ramen noodles at our house, but we tried the recipe this time! While it’s homemade, it’s incredibly quick to make at the same time! I truly recommend using this for everyone else. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Hello Mimi, thanks so much for your recommendation, we’re glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Love your soup recipes Can any soups be frozen??? Love your recipes 🌟🌟👏👏👏
Hi Donna! Thank you. So glad you love them. I include notes in the blog post if the recipe can be frozen if I’ve tested it. If not, you may try searching through the comment section. So many of my readers will share their results if they have frozen the recipe. 🙂
Hi, love your recipes!!
Question- I am making soup to freeze and give away. Have you precooked noodles for future use? Trying to provide everything to someone to defrost, heat and serve.
If yes, would you freeze plain or with a small amount of broth.
Thanks Geraldine
Hi Geraldine! If you plan to freeze the soup, wait to add the noodles when you reheat the soup. Chicken soup can be frozen for up to 3 months but the noodles do not freeze well. I assume you could provide the noodles dry with instructions to add them when reheating the soup.
Can you clarify the ratio of broth to water please? In your video you state 10 cups water + 4 Cups broth needed, but your recipe says 8 cups broth and 6 water….this is a big difference.
Hi Brenda! Follow the written recipe. Sometimes we make updates to the recipe but cannot edit the video since it has already been filmed.
I didn’t have fresh dill, so I subbed Mrs Dash for a half teaspoon of Dill Pickle Seasoning, and it taste wonderful! Also added a smidge of umami seasoning to help give it extra depth. Great recipe, thank you!
Great to hear that you loved the results, Andrea!