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 creamier soup, I highly recommend this incredible creamy chicken noodle soup!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: My secret for the best soup! Chicken thighs get super soft and delicious. You can make this soup with a whole chicken, but usually I don’t have time for that, so chicken thighs are my answer. They have a little fat, add lots of flavor (compared to chicken breast), and stay tender.
- 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 bone broth).
- Egg Noodles: I love them, but you can always substitute your favorite pasta shape. I’ve even swapped the noodles for tortellini like in our veggie tortellini soup!
- Veggies: I keep this soup simple with onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Feel free to add more, but these four will get you to that classic chicken soup flavor. When I have them in the fridge, I often stir in a few handfuls of fresh spinach or kale leaves.
- Thyme, Bay Leaves, and Parsley: These add a little backbone to the broth. I love fresh thyme and parsley, and then use dried bay leaves. For more of a herby soup, stir in chopped mint, basil, cilantro, or a combination just before serving. You can also turn this into a lemony chicken soup with a few slices of lemon like I do for our chicken vegetable soup.
How to Make the Best Chicken Noodle Soup
Of all the soup recipes on Inspired Taste, my family requests this one the most often, so we’ve really been able to dial in to make sure we are making the best we can. Now, I’m sharing all those tips with you!
Tip 1: Start your veggies in butter. I always sweat my veggies in butter before adding any broth. You aren’t looking to brown them, just get them a little softer and get rid of the raw flavor of the onion and garlic. If you have rendered chicken fat (schmaltz) in the house, you can swap that in for the butter and it would be lovely.
Tip 2: Taste your broth early. Once you’ve added your broth to the slightly softened veggies, taste it. If you have store-bought, it’s probably pretty light on seasoning. Tasting lets you get that seasoning right up front. Use salt early, and then season as you go as needed.
Tip 3: Gently poach the chicken thighs. Here’s why I love using chicken thighs for chicken noodle soup. They fit nicely in the pot of broth and only need 20 minutes to cook through. They are quick, but even in those 20 minutes, they release a lot of flavor in the soup. They are easy to shred, too, which is why I also use them to make our favorite shredded chicken.
Tip 4: Add the noodles last. If you don’t want to overcook your noodles, add them about 10 minutes before you plan to serve your soup. I prefer cooking them in the soup (as opposed to in a separate pot) because they pick up lots of flavor from the broth. They also release a little starch into the soup, which gives our broth a nicer mouthfeel.
Tip 5: Don’t be afraid to really season your soup. If you taste it and the soup doesn’t make you smile, you likely need more seasoning power. Salt is a good idea, or you can add a bit more oomph with fish sauce (I am such a fan). A few dashes of fish sauce really bring the flavors together. It’s like a little seasoning secret weapon. Beyond that, you can add a pop of freshness with lemon juice or heat with hot sauce.
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. If you love creamy soups, take a look at this creamy chicken noodle soup, which uses the same base recipe as this one.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, 4 to 5 thighs
5 ounces (140g) egg noodles or pasta of choice
2 tablespoons (28g) 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 (1.89L) chicken stock or broth, low sodium, or use homemade stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Directions
1Cook veggies: Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring every few minutes until the onions are translucent and the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 6 minutes.
2Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook, stirring the garlic around the pan, for about 1 minute until fragrant.
3Add the broth: Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a low simmer (small, gentle bubbles should appear on the surface). Taste the soup, then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Depending on the stock used, you might need to add 1 or more teaspoons of salt.
4Poach the chicken thighs: Submerge the chicken thighs in the soup so that the broth covers them. Bring the soup back to a low simmer, then partially cover the pot with a lid, leaving a small gap, and cook, stirring a few times, until the chicken thighs are cooked through, about 20 minutes. If, during this time, the broth seems low, add a splash more stock or a bit of water. Turn the heat to medium-low.
5Remove the chicken: Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate.
6Add the noodles: Stir your preferred noodles (like egg noodles or rotini) into the soup and cook until done, 6 to 10 minutes depending on the type of noodles used.
7Shred the chicken: While the noodles cook, shred the chicken into strips or dice it into cubes.
8Finish the soup: 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 fresh parsley and serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Refrigerate chicken noodle soup 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: 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 also love using leftover roasted chicken!)
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Delicious. Complete novice at making soup but this recipe didn’t disappoint! I didn’t have celery so left that out but other than that I stuck to the recipe. 14year old and 5year old both loved it so it’s a win for this mum 🙂
Oh that’s wonderful, Natalie! Thank you for coming back and I am so happy the kids enjoyed it!
Absolutely love this soup! I add about a 2 inch nub of ginger finely chopped and a table spoon or two of chilli paste just as the veggies are cooking to make it a real winter warmer and fight any colds in the house.
Oh yum, I love your additions of ginger and chili paste!