This chicken noodle soup is hearty with a deep flavor that’s brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon. It’s loaded with juicy chicken, tender egg noodles, carrots, and other veggies. Treat yourself to a bowl when you need a little comfort.
Table of contents
It’s no secret that the very best chicken noodle soup is probably made with homemade chicken broth. I’ve aspired to this level of cooking, dutifully freezing chicken bones and leftover veggies with every intention to turn it into a broth at some point. But somehow it never happens and I keep on with the boxed chicken broth when I need it.
So, when I set out to make chicken noodle soup I wondered if I could still use my short-cut broth but amp it up somehow. Well, I figured it out and now have a chicken noodle soup that is rich with a deep flavor that might leave people thinking it was made completely from scratch – broth and all.
Almost Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- The soup is made with store-bought chicken broth, but poaching the chicken in the broth takes it to a whole new flavor level.
- The broth is rich and I like offset it with some fresh herbs and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice right at the end. They brighten the flavor in the best possible way.
- This isn’t a labor-intensive soup recipe – the prep and cooking time is about an hour.
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Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Bone-in skin-on chicken breast
- Diced yellow onion
- Sliced celery
- Sliced carrots
- Dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Low sodium chicken broth
- Egg noodles
- Lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley
How to Make It
First, melt the butter with the olive oil in a soup pot. Brown the chicken breast skin-side down over medium-high heat. This will brown the skin and will also create all kinds of delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once browned, remove the chicken.
Add the vegetables and as they release their moisture, scrape up all the browned bits left behind by the chicken.
Add the oregano, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken back in the pot, skin side down and cover it with the chicken broth. Bring the broth to a strong simmer, lower the heat and gently simmer the chicken breast in the soup for about 20 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the soup. Discard the skin and bones and shred or chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken back to the pot.
Bring the soup to a low boil and add the egg noodles. Simmer them in the soup until they’re tender.
Check the seasoning and add more salt, if needed. Add the lemon juice and parsley and the soup is ready to serve.
Reader Reviews
I ❤ this chicken noodle soup, but don’t take my word for it – check out what other readers have to say about it…
- “I made this and it was YUMMO!! so good and not super heavy!!” – Katrina
- “This recipe is absolutely AMAZING. I was looking for a chicken soup recipe that was “different” and this fit the bill. ” – Kate
- “This was my first time making soup. This recipe is delicious and easy to follow. My family loved it!” – Georgia
Recipe Tips
- You can use the same amount of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs but your soup may have a little more fat.
- For the herbs, feel free to add fresh thyme when you simmer the soup for extra herbiness. You could also add a bay leaf and fish it out at the end.
- If you use regular chicken broth (not low sodium) you may want to dial back the amount of added salt in the recipe.
I hope you love this chicken soup as much as I do! If you want even more chicken soup recipes, be sure to check out my chicken soup recipe round-up with all kinds of ideas!
Happy cooking,
More Soup Recipes
📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe along with your recipe star rating.
PrintChicken Noodle Soup
It’s no secret that boxed chicken stock is no match for homemade, but I find that browning bone-in skin on chicken breasts in some oil and butter and sauteing the vegetables in the browned bits left behind adds a boost to otherwise boring boxed chicken stock. The soup is hearty with a deep flavor that’s brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 1 bone in skin on chicken breasts (about 1 pound), seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 cups boxed chicken broth
- 1 cup egg noodles
- Juice from ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large pot. Once the butter is melted and foamy, place the chicken breast skin side down in the pot. Brown the chicken until the skin has turned a nice golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot. As the release their moisture scrape up all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook them for five minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the oregano and salt and stir. Add the chicken broth. Place the chicken breast back in the pot with the skin side down. Bring the pot to a strong simmer and then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and cut the meat away from the bone. Discard both the bone and skin. Dice or shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Bring the pot back to a strong simmer and add the egg noodles. Let the soup simmer for 5-7 minutes or until the noodles are cooked. Taste and check for seasoning. If needed, add additional salt. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and serve.
Notes
If you use low-sodium chicken broth be sure to taste and adjust the salt before serving.
Nutrition
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 3.6g
- Sodium: 1439.8mg
- Fat: 13.5g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17.4g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 63.9g
- Cholesterol: 199.4g
Keywords: chicken noodle soup, chicken soup recipe
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Post and photos updated from the archives. First published in February 2017.
Gary says
I have a new appreciation for chicken noodle soup thanks to you.
★★★★★
Robert says
Best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had! Loved it!
★★★★★
April Anderson says
That makes my day!
Kathy says
When would I add rice if substituting for the noodles?
April Anderson says
Hi Kathy – it’s hard to say because it depends on the kind of rice you are using and how long it needs to cook. If your rice takes 20 to 30 minutes to cook (check the package), my best recommendation is to hold off adding the cooked chicken and cook the rice in the soup. Just at the end – in the last five minutes or so – add the cooked chicken and finish cooking the rice. I haven’t tested this so this is just my best guess. If you try it please let me know how it goes!
Max Jordan says
I’m sure this soup tastes delicious. All of your recipes that I have tried have been an absolute success!
★★★★★
Katrina says
i made this and it was YUMMO!! so good and not super heavy!!
★★★★★
April says
So glad you like it!
Kate says
This recipe is absolutely AMAZING. I was looking for a chicken soup recipe that was
“different” and this fit the bill. My goodness, I could bathe in this (tho I promise I won’t) Thank you for posting this.
Georgia says
This was my first time making soup. This recipe is delicious and easy to follow. My family loved it! 🥣
your site is my go-to recipe book when I need to find a good recipe quick and I know it’s going to be good.
Thank you for sharing! 💙
April says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just Jo says
Eight years? Wow that’s impressive April – kudos to you for keeping it going all that time. And it’s your blog – you keep sharing whatever content you like. Folk can always scroll down to the recipe if that’s all they want but the rest of us will enjoy reading your story whilst we tuck into a bowlful of this wonderful chicken soup 🙂
April says
Thanks so much 🙂
Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love. says
Your posts always make me feel like I’m sitting down to coffee with a good friend. I’ve been struggling with being a little more me on my blog as well so this post really resonated with me <3 Thank you for sharing! And as its decided to be winter here again in Michigan I will absolutely need a cup of this soup!
★★★★★
April says
Thank you, Meaghan – I’m so happy you enjoyed the post 🙂
Dan from Platter Talk says
Your take on this gold standard of all soups is blue ribbon worthy. Some things are worth waiting 8 years for, clearly a bowl of this would qualify. Thanks for the lovely narrative and the great bowl of soup. A perfect start to this weekend for me.
★★★★★
Mary says
Hooray for homemade soup. <3 Congratulations on 8 years blogging, it's a big deal to stick to something this long, and what you wrote in the more "personal" section is very relevant to me right now. For what it's worth, I love to read bloggers where I hear their voice and know a bit about their story. Thank you for sharing yours.
★★★★★
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
Oh I love chicken noodle soup! I spent a lot of my teens drinking those noodle cuppa-soup.
This version looks so much better 😉
I love those carrots, I bet they add a beautiful sweetness!
Brian Jones says
There are few dishes quite like chicken noodle soup, it seems to be one of those ubiquitous dishes than most cultures have a version of… If everyone eats it then it must me all kinds of right and your version sounds delicious.
★★★★★
April says
Thanks, Brian! Yes, the comfort of chicken and noodles seems to cross all cultures 🙂
Angie M says
I was wondering what i want to eat, here is the answer, love it, thanks!
★★★★★
Bobby Anderson says
April….That is one hearty lookin’ Chicken Soup recipe! Stopping at the store this afternoon to pick up the mixin’s!
★★★★★