Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

You know those cold months when you’re just aching for some yummy homemade soup….

THIS.  This is the answer my friends!
It’s quite possibly the easiest homemade soup to make.  And it tastes way better than anything from a can.

lucy5

In fact, I should be making this twice a month.
You should too.
So let’s just declare it outloud—Chicken Noodle Soup every other Tuesday!

The thing I love about this recipe is that it comes together quickly and uses simple ingredients.  And everything is measured in single cups—because I love things that measure easily.  So it’s 4 cups of this, 2 cups of that….all in one pot of deliciousness.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
8 cups of Chicken Stock (Two 32 oz boxes)
4 cups of noodles (from a 16 oz bag)
3 cups of diced veggies (celery, carrots, onions)
2 cups of diced chicken
1 cup of water

• Start by peeling and dicing the veggies into bite size pieces.  You’ll need about 3-4 carrots, 3 celery stalks, and one onion—just dice them enough so that you have 3 cups total.  I say 3 cups because you can choose how much of each veggie you prefer.  I love carrots more than onions, so I do about 1 1/2 cups of carrots, 1 cup of celery, and a 1/2 cup of onions.  Do what sounds good to you.
• Prep and dice the chicken.  I typically buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store or Costco and dice (or shred) it into chunks.  You can also boil or bake a few chicken breasts and use that.  But this soup is great when you can use left-over chicken you have in the fridge.

Now let’s cook….

• In a large pot, melt 1-2 Tbl of butter and sautee the veggies for a few minutes, stirring periodically.
Now this step isn’t totally necessary—it mostly adds some extra flavor bits to the bottom of the pot.  So, you can always just throw the veggies into the pot in the next step instead.
But I will say….when you want to eat chicken noodle soup for dinner, you want that aroma to infuse your house as soon as possible, which is exactly what this step does.  Mmmmm.
• Add the 8 cups of chicken stock and 1 cup of water to the pot and bring to a boil.  If you find that there’s too much liquid, you can always back off the amount of chicken stock.  I find that all 8 cups are necessary.
• Add the 2 cups of diced chicken and 4-5 cups of noodles to the pot (use 5 cups of noodles if you want the soup more thick and chunky).  Cook about 8-10 minutes until the noodles are done.  Most chicken soup recipes call for egg noodles, which are great here.  Or get creative and use whatever noodles catch your eye.
• When the noodles are done, salt and pepper the soup to taste.  Add any other seasonings you might like, such as fresh chopped parsley.  Or for an extra boost of flavor, throw in a vegetable soup pack mix?  My sister-in-law—who inspired me to make this soup—does that and it’s yummy as well!

Then ladle the soup into large bowls, serve with warm crusty bread,
And dinner is ready!


Enjoy!
….and if you have a favorite bread recipe, let me know!   I’m looking for a crusty sourdough to try out.  Thanks!

  1. 1) Kim

    I ordered a sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour years ago and always made the rustic recipe that came with the starter. It was fairly easy to keep alive, I only got rid of it when we moved and I should order a new one now that we are settled.

    • 2) Dana

      excellent idea. I had no idea you could order one. I’ll look into it thanks!

  2. 3) bdaiss

    I don’t bake my own bread often (living at a mile high makes bread baking…challenging!). But I’ll be combing your comments for ideas! 🙂

    One other “short cut” for awesome chicken noodle soup – use a bag of frozen mixed veggies (the carrot-peas-beans blend). We also like thyme and oregano in our soup. So simple, so quick. We have no excuse to not make it more often. (I have been making it a lot lately – too many of my family members have been under the weather.) My kids have been known to down 4 bowls in a sitting. There aren’t many meals I can say that about! 🙂

    • 4) Dana

      good idea on the frozen veggies! And yes, it’s always a win-win when kids love to eat what you make.

    • 6) Dana

      oh my gosh that looks SO good. thank you!

      • 7) Isabel

        After I tried this bread recipe once, I make it once or twice a week. Is so easy and amazing 🙂

  3. 8) Penny

    I hate to cook, but I am excited to try this recipe. Looks easy and yummy. I didn’t realize how quick it could be to make soup – hurray for precooked chicken!
    As usual, your pictures are mouth watering good!

    • 9) Dana

      Thank you Penny! And yes, precooked chicken is my favorite thing 🙂

  4. I don’t even like chicken noodle soup, yet this makes me want to make some and eat it. Looks so easy and yummy. Maybe before the temps warms up I will make a pot to enjoy.
    Thanks for the easy recipe!
    Melissa

  5. 11) Nicole

    Mmm, looks tasty. Ask Parry about his delicious and easy bread recipe. It is tasty & pretty!

  6. 12) Samina

    That looks delish! I’ve been using the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes (www.breadin5.com) recipe. Very easy & very good.

  7. Yum! I can smell it cooking right now!!

  8. 15) Kathleen

    I highly recommend the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The olive oil bread is our favorite.

    • 16) Dana

      Awesome Thanks!

  9. 17) Flo Dilla

    Hi! I have a suggestion to prevent the noodles from becoming too soggy and soak up almost all of the soup especially if you don’t serve it right away. You just sautee the noodles with the vegetables until they become translucent. Add the stock and continue cooking until the noodles are fully cooked. Hope it helps!

    • 18) Dana

      Great tip! Thanks Flo!

  10. 20) Tamera

    Made this soup today for friends over for a playdate. 2 moms & 5 kids APPROVE! I usually make chicken broth weekly so this will be a snap to add to our menu plan! thx for the simple & very tasty recipe!

  11. 21) Cary

    We add a little chopped spinach and some lemon zest and lemon juice to our chicken noodle soup. Delicious. Kids eat it like crazy!

  12. Sounds yummy! Season with a tsp. of cumin (comino), lose the noodles, add some diced fresh cilantro, a can of petite diced tomatoes and serve with tortilla chips and you’ve got yourself “Juetta’s Tortilla Soup.” Welcome to South Texas!

    **Juetta (wedda) – Texican for “blonde white woman”

  13. I can’t stop thinking about this receipe since I read your post yesterday – my husband is running in his first iron man on Sunday so I am going to cook this as his pre-race dinner – it’s perfect!

  14. 24) Elizabeth

    Some delicious soup kickers … Add a splash of apple cider vinegar. Just a splash. Trust me.

    Add a bay leaf at the beginning.

    If you have kids who don’t like soup that’s too hot, add a small handful of frozen peas to their bowl just before you ladle in the soup. The broth cooks the peas, the peas cool the soup just enough!

    For a sinus clearing addition, add a Fresno chile to your trinity of veggies as you sauté. Heaven!! (We like spice, so I always add a pich of red pepper flakes to our soup.)

    And I think you should do another post of all of these delicious links to breads!! Yummy!!!

  15. 25) Shana Kramer

    That’s exacatly how I make soup for my family of 6 almost once a week. The only thing I do differently is add 1 bay leaf, it makes a big difference in depth of flavor. Occasionally I use kluski noodles because we really like them and they don’t get as soggy the next day (if there are ever any leftovers). As for sourdough, I just buy the large loaf from Panera and have them slice it thin, then toast and slather with butter and garlic salt. OMG, good! If we weren’t moving this weekend I’d be making it right now

  16. 26) Claire

    A tad confused over here in Blighty, they don’t look like what we call noodles…is it pasta you’re using?

  17. Dana, just made this for my family for dinner. Everyone loved it! Thanks (and it was soo easy to prep). Px

  18. 28) Manon

    Typical American….do half work……chicken soup with chicken stock!!! What the hell…sorry, but real chicken soup is from real chicken and not from E-stuff! Try once real chicken soup without the E-stuff. And use more vegetables, they dont bite dear 😉

Leave a Comment