This is my all-time favorite chicken noodle soup recipe. It is SO good and the only recipe you’ll ever need. Our family has been making this for years! It’s healthy and satisfying, and the flavor is out of this world.
This chicken noodle soup recipe makes me smile just thinking about it! This is my go-to soup whenever it’s chilly or someone in the family is sick. Our readers love this recipe, too! They’ve called it “perfect,” “the best they’ve made,” and “a huge hit!”
It’s way better than store-bought and it’s FAST! The secret is flavorful chicken thighs! They make a ridiculously flavorful broth and mean we have homemade chicken noodle soup ready in under 40 minutes (and most of that is hands-off!). For a creamy version, see our creamy chicken noodle soup!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken thighs: My secret for the best soup! Chicken thighs get super soft and delicious.
- Chicken stock: I highly recommend homemade chicken stock or chicken broth, but store-bought works! When shopping for stock, darker broth or bouillon usually means more flavor. I also love boxed bone broths (or you can make your own).
- Egg noodles: I love them, but you can always substitute your favorite pasta.
- Veggies: I keep it simple with onion, celery, carrots, and garlic.
- Thyme, Bay leaves and parsley: All three are classic flavors for chicken soup.
How to Make the Best Chicken Noodle Soup
I start by sweating my veggies in some butter. I’m not looking to brown them. I just want to give them a head start before adding the broth. Next, I add my broth and taste for seasoning. Now is a great time to see if your broth needs salt. Seasoning early on is always a great idea.
When I’m happy with my broth, it’s time to add the chicken thighs. We gently poach them in the broth, which adds flavor to the soup and keeps our chicken juicy and tender. After 20 minutes, the chicken will be cooked so we can remove it and shred it. I toss in my noodles and the shredded chicken along with some fresh parsley. This soup is so simple to make and tastes amazing!
Our Favorite Variations
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup: Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream or half-and-half, like in this creamy chicken noodle.
- Add Lemon: Add 3 to 4 lemon slices, similar to this lemony chicken soup.
- Mexican-Inspired Soup: Add 3 or 4 slices of lime, use rice instead of noodles, swap the parsley for fresh cilantro, and then add diced tomatoes and cubed avocado. You can even add diced corn tortillas as we do for this chicken tortilla soup.
- Add Umami: Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil, mushroom powder, or a few dashes of fish sauce for an ultra-satisfying, umami-packed soup.
- Add More Veggies: Swirl in fresh spinach or kale at the end of cooking for more of a vegetable-heavy soup.
- Substitute the Noodles: Try potatoes, winter squash, rice, quinoa, or grains. Add hearty veggies (like potatoes) to the pot along with the onions and carrots. When it comes to rice and grains, add them already cooked.
- Use Tortellini: I love using cheese-filled pasta when making this veggie tortellini soup.
Ultra-Satisfying Chicken Noodle Soup
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
You will love this homemade chicken noodle soup, which skips cooking a whole chicken and calls on boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead. The soup tastes incredible, satisfying, and classic, and the significantly reduced cooking time makes it the best chicken noodle soup for a weeknight.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, 4 to 5 thighs
5 ounces egg noodles or pasta of choice
2 tablespoons butter, chicken fat, or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped, optional
1 heaped tablespoon minced garlic, 4 cloves
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme or use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8 cups chicken stock or broth, low sodium, or use homemade stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Water or more stock, as needed
Directions
1Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring every few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften; 5 to 6 minutes.
2Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook, while stirring the garlic around the pan, for about 1 minute.
3Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a low simmer. Taste the soup then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Depending on the stock used, you might need to add 1 or more teaspoons of salt.
4Submerge the chicken thighs into the soup so that the broth covers them. Bring the soup back to a low simmer then partially cover the pot with a lid and cook, stirring a few times until the chicken thighs are cooked through; about 20 minutes.
5If, during this time, the broth seems low, add a splash more stock or a bit of water. Turn the heat to medium-low.
6Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Stir the noodles into the soup and cook until done, 6 to 10 minutes depending on the type of noodles used.
7While the noodles cook, shred the chicken into strips or dice into cubes. Slide the chicken back into the pot and then taste the soup once more for seasoning. Adjust with more salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the parsley and serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. As the soup sits, the noodles soak up the broth. When you reheat, add a splash of extra broth or water.
- Make ahead: Follow the recipe above, but do not add the noodles. Refrigerate or freeze the soup. When ready to reheat, bring the soup to a low simmer and add the dried noodles. Cook until they are done, and enjoy.
- Seasoning the Soup: If you feel the soup is missing some zing, add a bit more salt. You can also add a pop of flavor with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a dash of fish sauce (we use this trick for store-bought stocks and broths often) or Worcestershire sauce.
- Using rotisserie chicken: Add two to three cups of shredded or diced cooked chicken to the soup when you add the dried noodles and reduce the simmer time by 10 minutes. (I love using leftover roasted chicken!)
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
our go to chicken noodle soup recipe!
This is by far the best chicken soup I’ve ever made
It turned out pretty good but a little bland, I wonder if more seasonings would have helped because this recipe only calls for salt, pepper, and thyme.
Hi Ariana, I recommend checking in the tips section. Here’s what we suggest for seasoning the soup “Seasoning the Soup: If you feel the soup is missing some zing, add a bit more salt. You can also add a pop of flavor with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a dash of fish sauce (we use this trick for store-bought stocks and broths often) or Worcestershire sauce.”
Love the chicken soup
My husband got sick and I decided to make this soup. I’m a vegetarian so I only use veggie stock when making any soups vegetarian/chicken). I used a box of chicken stock that we had and the other half I used an organic vegetable stock.(better than bouillon ) I followed the recipe and just added a little extra spices. All natural Herbs/spice and a all natural vegetable seasoning. I added a bit of turmeric. I broke up lasagna noodles into small pieces as it’s what I had on hand other than penne! Added black pepper as well. I got hubby to do taste tasting a couple times as I couldn’t taste it haha. He LOVED it. He said it’s definitely a do again! Thank you for such a great chicken soup recipe. I will have to do a veggie version for me.
I once made a potato soup, the recipe mentioned sliced onion and flour in a pan with butter, moving around to avoid burning, until all the flour sticks to the onions, then we added the rest of the stuff. I am a terrirble cook, but I thought that trick made the soup thicker and I loved it. Do you think I can use the same trick with this chicken noodle recipe? how would that work? Please bear with me, English is my second language, I don’t know if my question makes sense to you.
I’d imagine the same trick would help here, yes.
This recipe is THE best chicken noodle soup I have ever put in my mouth. I believe the secret is using chicken thighs and because of the bone, it results in a phenomenal broth. Very simple to make and quick. My family loves it!
Love this recipe but 2 stalks celery seems like a lot and I always cut it to 1/2 stalk of celery. Is it meant to be 2 ribs?
Yes, 2 ribs. I realize this is confusing, but many of our readers view a stalk as the individual rib.
I love the simple seasonings in this soup!! And, Joanne, I love how you didn’t waste any of that good onion – right to the core. That’s how I do it, too! Because I cook enough for leftovers, no one in the family cares for leftover chicken noodle soup with mushy noodles, so I never add my pasta to the whole pot, itself. I cook the pasta separately, then add it to each bowl. I just refrigerate any leftover noodles. Oh, and, the refrigerated pasta creates resistant carbs, which is really good for anyone watching their carbs and sugar. But, I do always peel my carrots. I have tried them unpeeled, and I don’t care for how the skins get a papery consistency when they are cooked. It’s a texture thing for me. 😊 Great Job!!
I make this regularly and is always appreciated. Easy to make and so tasty. I serve it with hommages no-knead dusch over bread. Thank you for a great addition to my recipe list
Such a great, easy recipe that you can add whatever you want to it and tastes great! I use Better than Buillion Vegetable and I add a can of corn and it’s perfect. I don’t even have to add any salt. Thanks for sharing!
Do the egg noodles make the broth starchy?
No, that’s actually why I love egg noodles for this soup!
How can I make my broth taste good with out the vegetables
Hi Theresa, If you have a quality broth as the base, you should be good.