This Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is made from scratch. It is rich, delicious, and comforting.
During cold and flu season, what we all really need is a delicious soup recipe (or seven) that will not only nourish our bodies, but will soothe our souls. Recipes can remind us of being taken care of and loved; it’s one of their magic super powers. I really believe this Chicken Noodle Soup recipe has that ability.
Made with tender bone in chicken thighs, thick and delicious egg noodles, and fresh vegetables, your family will want you to make this soup for them over and over.
I love this recipe! This is our go to chicken noodle soup recipe! I think the skin on chicken thighs really make the flavor of the soup!
Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
One of the things I love about this recipe is that, besides the chicken thighs, most of the ingredients can be kept in your pantry and refrigerator. That way, you can make chicken noodle soup whenever your body (or soul) needs it.
- Chicken Thighs: I love the flavor that thighs bring to this recipe, but if you would prefer to use chicken breasts, you can read about that substitution below.
- Unsalted Butter: If you only have salted butter on hand, you will want to wait until the end, and only add it after tasting it.
- Celery, Carrots, & Onion: This trio starts so many soups for good reason. They add the perfect flavor profile for a soup.
- Dried Thyme & Dried Basil: I love the flavor these herbs bring to the soup, but you could really use whatever dried herbs you love most.
- Chicken Stock: Chicken broth will also work here. If you would like to make your own, you can follow the steps in my Turkey Broth, and substitute the bones of a rotisserie chicken.
- Frozen Egg Noodles: I love how easy these are to keep on hand and the texture they bring to the soup. Please see below for alternatives.
- Garlic
- Bay Leaves
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
This soup has a few steps, but none of them are complicated. This is a recipe that even a beginner cook could accomplish and feel great about. For the complete steps and measurements, be sure to see my recipe at the bottom of the post.
- Brown the chicken. Melt butter in a stock pot and use that to brown the chicken thighs.
- Sauté the vegetables. Remove the chicken and use their drippings to cook the vegetables, adding in the seasonings.
- Simmer the chicken. Add in the chicken stock and return the thighs to the pan, so they fully cook in the broth.
- Cook the noodles. Remove the chicken to shred (or dice) it, and then cook the egg noodles in the broth.
- Put it all together. Return the chicken to the pot, and serve.
Why Brown the Chicken?
You’ll notice that we are browning the skin of the chicken thighs in step one. Then in step two, we discard the skin completely. The reason we brown the skin is to render the fat from the skin into the pan before we cook the vegetables. It deepens the flavor of the soup in a great way.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts?
You could definitely opt to use chicken breasts (boneless skinless or with skin on) in this recipe. If you do that, make sure that you keep a close on the internal temperature of it as it boils in step 3. There is nothing worse than over cooked chicken breasts.
Using Egg Noodles
I love the texture that frozen egg noodles bring to this dish. They are thick and wonderful in this soup. I do not typically make my own noodles because I am a mom of three littles and a business owner who works an embarrassing number of hours each week.
That being said, my homemade egg noodles would be amazing in this! I highly encourage you to experiment and find what you love best.
Additionally, you could also use a dry pasta that you love. That is what I do in my Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup and that recipe is a winner as well.
Homemade Egg Noodles
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers of this soup can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days in your refrigerator. If you know for sure you plan on having leftovers, I would consider using a dry pasta noodles instead of the egg noodles. Only cook as much as you plan on eating and boil more noodles when you eat the leftovers.
Leftovers can be frozen in a container with room for expansion and kept in the freezer for up to three months. Again, I would encourage you to cook the noodles separately.
Other Great Soup Recipes
If you are looking for other comforting soups, here are a few favorites:
If you make this soup or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 TBSPs butter
- 1 lb bone in chicken thighs
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 1/2 a yellow onion diced
- 1/2 TBSP dried thyme
- 1/2 TBSP dried basil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 to 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 12 ounces frozen egg noodles see note
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add them to the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, and discard the skin. Remove the pan drippings, reserving 2 TBSPs and returning it to the pan.
- Add the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic to the pan. Add the seasoning, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the pan, and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. The soup should have just a very slight bubble to it.
- Remove the chicken and bring back to a boil. Add the frozen noodles and simmer for 20 minutes (or according to package instructions).
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it. When the noodles are done cooking, return the chicken to the pot and serve!
Notes
Larry says
Looks delicious…..I’ve made it before. Supposedly, you can buy Reames frozen noodles at Wal*Mart……they never seem to have them though. I think they are easy to make, but I”m not sure how
Ann McGrath says
not made from scratch if you are using chicken stock! I make my own chicken and beef stock
Hi Ann! As a mom of three little kids who works more than a full time job, I feel pretty good about calling this soup from scratch. I have made my own stock and I have made my own noodles, but often down’t have the time to do those during a typical week. And I know a lot of other parents in the same boat. I think there is a wide range of cooking – from making frozen meals to making your own noodles and stock and everything in between. We have to do what works best for us and our families.
Josie says
Going to try. Looks yummy
Robyn Kilgòre says
This looks so good. This may be a silly question, but why chicken thighs rather than perhaps breast?
Nothing is a silly question here! I used chicken thighs because they have a more tender taste in this recipe. There is a note in the blog post about using chicken breasts though.
Tina says
Lisa,
Can I make this soup in the crockpot? I love the Reames frozen noodles…will they hold up in the crockpot?
I have used Reames frozen noodles in my Crockpot Noodles and Beef. It works for sure in that recipe, but I haven’t tried it with this one. I would want to play around with it before giving you concrete advice.
Kerri says
I love this recipe! This is our go to chicken noodle soup recipe! I think the skin on chicken thighs really make the flavor of the soup!
I’m so happy you like it!
Bud boeder says
Do you have a recipe for garlic tomato dumpling soup?
I’m so sorry, I don’t.
Karen says
I’m confused about frozen egg noodles. Do you buy them frozen? I need advise with my noodles, usually when I put the noodles in they absorb all the broth. Any suggestions?
For this soup we are using frozen egg noodles. I usually use Reames, and you do buy them frozen and put them into the soup frozen. The key is to use a recipe that accounts for the noodles. It should have a good ratio of broth to noodles so that when you are done, you still have a soupy soup.
Patrice Lane says
I’ve been looking for a good chicken noodle soup. Can you can this for later eating. If so how long do you pressure can for ?
I’m sorry, I don’t have enough experience with canning to advise on this. I usually send people here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
Linda says
The soup looks delicious from the picture, so I made it. Followed the recipe as written.
I’m sorry to say, it was absolutely horrible.
I’m really surprised to hear that since we love it ourselves and we’ve gotten such glowing reviews from others. Can you tell me what you didn’t like about it?