Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup — Classic, comforting, and tastes just like grandma made but way easier and faster!! This soup is AMAZING and it’ll be your new favorite recipe!!
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The Easiest Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Chicken noodle soup is one of the fondest memories I have of my grandmother’s cooking. Classic, comforting, a cure-all for whatever ailed me, and I could taste my grandma’s love in it.
However, my grandma’s version took hours and hours. I don’t have time to watch a boiling pot for half the day and this version is easy, ready in 30-minutes, and has all the comforting qualities you want in classic chicken noodle soup.
My family loved the homey, classic flavors in the soup, raved about it, and asked when I’m making it again. It makes enough to stash half in the freezer for a rainy day or for winter cold and flu season. Chicken noodle soup is a miracle worker.
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
To make this easy chicken noodle soup recipe, you’ll need the following basic ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Sweet Vidalia onion
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Bay leaves
- Fresh thyme
- Dried oregano
- Wide egg noodles
- Shredded cooked chicken
- Fresh parsley
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
Making homemade chicken noodle soup with egg noodles doesn’t get easier than this! Here’s an overview of how this simple recipe comes together:
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender.
- Add the egg noodles and boil the mixture until the noodles are cooked through.
- Add the chicken, parsley, optional lemon juice and boil until chicken is warmed through.
- Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately!
Recipe FAQs
Egg noodles in chicken noodle soup is the only way to go for me because that’s how my grandma made it, but if you like rotini or another type of pasta, use it instead.
I always use pre-cooked, shredded chicken in my homemade chicken noodle soup. You have a few options when it comes to pre-cooked chicken:
1. You can buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, shred it up, then throw it in the soup (some stores even sell pre-shredded rotisserie chicken which is a huge time saver!).
2. You can meal prep your own stovetop or baked chicken breasts. Either shred or cube the chicken whenever you’re ready to make the soup.
3. Make a batch of poached chicken a day or two in advance to use in the soup.
I prefer using a blend of fresh and dried herbs in my soup for a more nuanced flavor. For this recipe, I used bay leaves, fresh thyme, and dried oregano. However, you can easily adapt the recipe using whatever herbs you have on hand!
The squeeze of lemon juice does NOT make the soup taste even remotely lemony. Instead, it brightens up the rich flavors of the soup and makes the recipe “pop” overall. If you don’t have a fresh lemon on hand, use apple cider vinegar to achieve the same result.
We love serving this easy homemade soup with bread rolls (try Parker House Rolls or No-Knead Dinner Rolls), Skillet Cornbread, or a Classic House Salad.
Tips for the Best Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken: To save time, make this chicken noodle soup with rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken that you have on hand. Of course you can roast or pan sauté chicken if you’re so inclined.
Herbs: There are quite a few herbs used including thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and parsley. If you don’t have them all on hand, don’t want to buy a bunch of thyme for just 1 teaspoon, or aren’t fond of a particular herb, you can probably omit it. Your soup won’t taste exactly like mine, but it’ll be close.
Salt: Make sure to salt your soup to taste. I use low-sodium chicken broth and add a bit of salt to my soup so I can control the overall salt level. The saltiness of low-sodium broth varies among brands, and if you used a rotisserie chicken, salt levels vary. And everyone’s personal preference for salt varies so salt to taste.
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Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin (about 1 1/2 large carrots)
- 1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)
- 1 cup sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 1 medium onion)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 64 ounces 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if desired
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles, or your favorite noodles or pasta
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, use storebought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chicken in a skillet
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional
- salt, to taste
- To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat to warm.
- Add the carrots, celery, onion, and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes. - Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil gently for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender. Note – If you like brothier soup, add additional broth, possibly as much as an additional 64 ounces because as time passes the noodles will continue to absorb broth.
- Add the egg noodles and boil mixture for about 10 minutes, or until noodles are soft and cooked through. At any time while making the soup, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of water is okay. At the end you will adjust the salt level.
- Add the chicken, parsley, optional lemon juice (brightens up the flavor), and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through. Taste soup and add salt to taste. I added about 1 tablespoon but this will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. Make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, herbs, etc.), remove the bay leaves, and serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Our whole family loves this soup so much! It tastes better with each day & is so easy to make. A fan favorite!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Jenny, and I am glad this is a family favorite and that it’s easy and gets better with each day!
This is , hands down, the easiest thing tasty chicken noodle soup. It’s like your Bubbie helped you make it. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Helene for the five star review and I’m so glad this is the easiest tastiest chicken noodle soup you’ve tried! And feels like Bubbie helped 👵
I’ve made this recipe several times with rotisserie or baked chicken and we love it. I’m starting with raw skinless boneless chicken thighs and I’m wondering if I can just dump them in with the vegetables and broth to simmer and cook before I add the noodles. Thoughts?
Thanks for the 5 star review, Patty, and I am glad this has been a winner for you! If you’re using raw chicken, yes you can cube it, and then saute it along with the veggies (or add it as they’re approaching being done), and then just let it all simmer together with the broth for another 15 mins or so before adding the noodles and you’ll be set! I personally prefer to cube or slice into wide-ish strips than to use large pieces so they cook quicker and more evenly.
I just found this recipe https://www.averiecooks.com/30-minute-mediterranean-chicken-soup/ which starts with raw chicken so you can get a sense of what the program is. But it’s basically just as I described above. Enjoy!
Great, easy and delicious
Thanks, Jane, for letting me know it was great, easy, and delish! That’s wonderful!
Easy to make and the aroma fills the house. Even though it’s March, still the best comfort food. The chicken soup recipe is now my favorite go to.
It may be March but I think chicken noodle soup is a nearly year-round favorite comfort food and there’s never a bad time to make it! Glad this is your favorite go-to recipe for it!
This is my go-to chicken noodle soup when I don’t have the time or don’t feel like making chicken and dumplings from scratch! I add a little ginger with the garlic and it turns out great every time! Everyone’s asked me for the recipe that’s had it!
This is my go-to chicken noodle soup when I don’t have the time or don’t feel like making chicken and dumplings from scratch! I add a little ginger with the garlic and it turns out great every time! Everyone’s asked me for the recipe that’s had it!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that this is your go to chicken noodle soup and that everyone asks you for the recipe!
This was a fun and easy recipe for my 8 year old daughter to follow for her night to cook. We did omit a few seasonings we didn’t have. It was delicious.
This was a fun and easy recipe for my 8 year old daughter to follow for her night to cook. We did omit a few seasonings we didn’t have. It was delicious.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that your 8 year old daughter could make this! Wow!! Budding Star Chef on your hands, love hearing this story!
So good! Just found your recipe and made tonight, thank you!!
So good! Just found your recipe and made tonight, thank you!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this turned out so well!
Wonderful recipe! Easy to make as written. Love your recipes!
Wonderful recipe! Easy to make as written. Love your recipes!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that this was wonderful, easy, and that you love my recipes! Thank you so much!
I just saw you noted dried herb amount🤦🏻♀️
Thank you!
Hi! Can’t wait to make this! Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh? …dont always have fresh on hand. If so, how much would you suggest of each?
Thanks!
This is our FAVORITE chicken noodle soup recipe! It’s so easy and makes flavorful soup!