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
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If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Sooo easy and delicious!! I added 3 cloves of garlic an 1.5 onions for more flavor. Yum 🙂
Sounds so perfect! Thanks for sharing, Alla!
Winters are starting and soup are perfect for dining in winters and chicken add flavor to it. Cooked yesterday and family just enjoyed. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you are enjoying our recipes!
How do you handle this recipe for leftovers the next day? Do you still make it as written and just preheat over stove? Will the noodles be dried out or have absorbed the liquid? I know someone mentioned cooking noodles separate.
We reheat on the stove top, the microwave will work as well. Some have a preference for serving the noodles separately however we love ours nice and plump.
I made the soup today. It tasted great. I used parsley instead of dill.
We enjoy making the meals you show us how to cook.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for the great review!
When chopping onions….my 10 year old daughter wears sunglasses 😎 it prevents the onions from burning her eyes 👀and it works for her.😁
You can try it😁
That’s one smart ten year old! Thank you for sharing that with us!
I did not put fresh dill, but put dill from my spices. It looks a little different than I am used to. Was it ok to do that?
The fresh dill does add more flavor than dried spices but it should still work just fine 🙂
Hi! I have many of your recipes saved but this will be my first to try. If I were to use a rotisserie chicken that was already cooked at what point would I put that into the pot? Do you think it would be ok to substitute?
Hi Jessica! That should work great!
Sounds yummy! For anyone out there making this soup, if you are planning to save some of it for leftovers, my recommendation would be to cook the pasta separately. You’d then add your desired amount of cooked pasta when reheating the soup. In my experience, when I cook pasta right in the soup, it soaks up a lot of the liquid while sitting in the fridge overnight. So, I would always end up with water-logged noodles and not enough broth.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Irina!
Hi Natasha!
Love your recipes. Wondered if I could substitute organic minced garlic from a jar instead of the pressed garlic in the chicken noodle soup. I always have this on hand.
We enjoy it fresh but that should work just fine, Anne! Hope you love it!
So classic and nostalgic! I loved this dish growing up and your recipe was wonderful! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Sabrina!
Nothing beats homemade chicken noodle soup! Especially when someone is under the weather. Love this recipe!
Hi Anna, I completely agree! Chicken noodle soup is definitely a healing and feel good food 🙂
So good, nothing beats a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup on a cold day!
I completely agree! Thank you for sharing your great review!
The perfect soup on a cold day! SO Yummy!
Isn’t it great! Thank you for that great review!
This is such a cozy, comforting soup for the cold weather.
Thank you Toni!! This chicken noodle soup recipe is really is just a bowl of feel good comfort food.
I use the Creamy Chicken Noodle soup and it is awesome. It takes a little longer but so worth it.
I’m so glad you love it! Thank you for sharing your awesome review 🙂
Really nice recipe. Our three year old had fun helping me prep the ingredients for this soup. I did add about a 3/4 tsp of bullion granules because it tasted a little watery toward the end & a couple bay leaves during cooking. Loved the addition of garlic! I served it with grilled cheese and everyone was happy. I can’t wait to have this for lunch today. I’m sure the flavors are even better today. Thanks for a great recipe Natasha!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chicken noodle soup! The garlic is that secret little add-in that really elevates the whole pot of soup 🙂 Garlic is wonderful!
You can never go wrong with chicken noodle soup…..yummy. Thanks so much….will definently be trying this soon.
I hope you love it! I look forward to hearing how you like it!
This recipe gets 3/5 stars by Natasha’s usual standards, it is a decent chicken noodle soup. I followed the recipe to a T and the finished product tasted good, but all the ingredients tasted kind of disparate, like there is some binding ingredient missing. And it also lacks in umami. I think it’s sooo close as a recipe, but there is something missing.
I think I will attempt it again with a bit of parmesan rind in the broth from the start.
Hi Lauren, did you try adding the pressed garlic clove and fresh dill at the end? I haven’t had it turn out bland and this is a favorite in our family. Also, a high quality chicken broth and using dark meat (thighs) rather than white meat makes all the difference. I hope that helps! 🙂
Yes, I followed the recipe. Fresh dill, garlic. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and low sodium campbell’s broth.
Maybe I should have used bone in? I will attempt again some time and use that instead. Homemade broth would help too.
We always use homemade turkey stock and it is a family favourite. Even my gourmet mom enjoyed it when I made it for her.
Homemade turkey stock is absolutely amazing in this chicken noodle soup! Thanks for sharing! We often make it as a turkey noodle soup after Thanksgiving.
I feel the same way. It tasted somewhat bland to me and I followed the directions exactly. There was something missing. Veggies, noodles, chicken were all good, but the broth was lacking taste.
Hi Brenda, I would recommend the finishing touches of flavor in the recipe which can make all the difference. Also, it helps to use a higher proportion of chicken broth to water. Some store-bought broths can be pretty flavorless and bland so more would help.
In place of Mrs Dash, I used Better than Bouillon and it was the umami it needed. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Made it three times and it’s a hit in our home.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Dawn!
Better Than Bouillon does the trick in so many recipes.Btw, my kids would disown me if I used white meat in a soup.
Just made this tonight as I’m feeling a cold coming on, that I caught from my sick 4 year old. It was absolutely delicious. I’ve never been a big chicken noodle soup fan, but probably because I always buy it pre-made from the store. This was so good I had 2 bowls! My daughter wouldn’t even try it because she’s the pickiest eater in the world, so more for me! Another hit from Natasha! Thanks!
That’s so great Kelly!! I’m so happy you enjoyed that! I hope your cold stays away! Feel better soon!
Love chicken noodle soup, need directions for a slow cooker , as love to cook it all day , thanks
Hi Michael, I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker so I can’t offer specific advice on cook time in a crock pot but I think it would work. I would still sauté on a pan (step 2) and then add sautéed ingredients to the crock pot.
Thank you ;
You’re welcome!
This is my favorite soup recipe! I know that when I make a batch of this, I won’t even be tempted to go out for lunch as I can eat this all week. I follow the recipe exactly. Sometimes I add a squeeze of lemon to my bowl. Thanks so much!
We love it also! Thank you Leora!
I’m using organic broth that comes in those waxy cartons. Would you suggest low sodium broth or regular broth? Also about how many cups of water should I use if I plan to use 4 cups of broth?
Hi Monica, we usually purchase and use low sodium. If you are thinking about cutting the recipe down to 4 cups of broth, I would suggest 8 cups water. I hope you love the recipe!