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Recipes » The Best, Easiest, Quickest Chicken Noodle Soup Ever

The Best, Easiest, Quickest Chicken Noodle Soup Ever

By Kate Morgan Jackson

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Is there anything more wonderful than perfect chicken noodle soup? Here’s a recipe for The Best, Easiest, Quickest Chicken Noodle Soup Ever!

best chicken noodle soup ever

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There are few things I love as much as a bowl of chicken noodle soup.  I’m most definitely not talking about the one in the can. 

I’m talking about soup in a rich, flavorful broth with chunks of roasted chicken, freshly chopped tender pieces of carrot and celery, noodles soaking up the chicken taste and fresh parsley floating throughout the whole thing.

Sounds long and involved and exhausting, right?  Well, usually that is right. 

What usually happens is that you start out with all great intentions and energy and a nice whole chicken. 

You toss it in the soup pot with some water and a prayer or two, and hours and days and weeks later you have a cooked chicken and some “broth.” 

But if you are me, the chicken is a little rubbery from having boiled away for ages and I’m sorry, all the onion and carrots in the world have not been able to produce a nice rich broth  — for me, anyway. 

It ends up watery and sad and you have to skim the top of it, and on and on and on.

It was time for something to be done.  It’s our right to have a fantastic chicken soup that doesn’t require ages and a nap and a degree from the Culinary Institute of America. 

So here’s what needs to happen. 

ingredients needed to make the best chicken noodle soup!

  • 1 Bone-In Chicken Breast or 2 Cups Cooked Shredded Chicken
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Chicken Broth
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Onion
  • Pasta
  • Fresh Parsley

Here’s how to make this easy, scrumptious chicken noodle soup!

STEP 1: First you need a bone-in split chicken breast.  Put in in a baking pan, brush that baby with a little olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and pepper and roast it at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes.

(And if you have some already cooked chicken on hand, you can have your soup even faster by using that! You need about two cups.)

STEP 2: While the chicken is roasting, chop up a couple carrots, some celery, an onion and some fresh parsley.  If I have a leek on hand I’ll chop that up too.  I usually just drop everything in my food processor and pulse it a few times – you want small bite sized chunks.

STEP 3: Once your chicken is roasted and cooled a little, shred it into bite sized pieces – use two forks, or (if you are me) your own clean fingers. Set it aside.

STEP 4: We need to talk about BROTH. Broth is the foundation of any chicken noodle soup, and let me tell you, things have gotten a LOT better in the prepared broth arena.

My best best best advice is to go for the broth in the box, NOT the can. Imagine and Pacific make great boxed chicken broth, and Wegman’s store brand is also terrific. 

Bring the broth to a nice simmer and drop in the veggies and some short pasta (think egg noodles or bow-ties) and simmer it covered until the veggies are tender and the pasta is cooked. 

STEP 5: Taste to see if you need to add in any salt or pepper…and that’s it, folks.  You have now made the perfect chicken noodle soup. 

more tips for making this perfect perfect soup!

Can I use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe?

100% yes, and that will save even more time. If you are a dark meat chicken lover, go ahead and add that part of the chicken too.

Where do I find chicken broth in a box?

Pretty much all supermarkets are carrying this now, and it’s right next to the canned soups. I always have at least a couple of boxes in my pantry for broth emergencies.

Can I add other veggies if I want to?

That’s another beautiful thing about this soup – you can mix and match anything you like. Have a celery disliker in your house (raises hand)? Just double up on the carrots. Toss in some baby spinach. Etcetera and so on!

Have a question that I didn’t cover?

Put your question in the comments below and I will answer pronto!

best chicken noodle soup ever

It will keep for several days and get better and better. 

If it gets too thick, pour in a little more broth and it will be just fine.Doesn’t everything seem right with the world now?

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best chicken noodle soup ever

The Best, Easiest, Quickest Chicken Noodle Soup Ever


★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Lunch
  • Method: Oven, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Low Lactose
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Description

Is there anything more wonderful than perfect chicken noodle soup? Here’s a recipe for The Best, Easiest, Quickest Chicken Noodle Soup Ever!


Ingredients

  • 1 split bone-in chicken breast (or two cups of shredded cooked chicken)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Two 32 ounce boxes of chicken broth
  • Two large carrots, sliced
  • Two stalks celery, sliced
  • One leek, sliced or one sweet onion, peeled chopped
  • 1 cup short pasta (bow-ties, egg noodles, etc_
  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken skin side up on baking sheet lined with foil. Rub olive oil onto chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes and then cool until chicken is cool enough to shred with your fingers. Discard bones and skin.
  2. Heat broth until simmering. Add carrots, celery, leek or onion and pasta and cook until pasta is done, about 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in parsley and chicken and season to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Notes

Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)!  Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!

Equipment We Used For This Recipe

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1173.5 g974.1 mg1.7 g0.3 g0 g13.9 g1.7 g11.2 g29.8 mg

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Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!

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Fill up your slow cooker with chicken, barley, veggies and broth to make this warm and comforting slow cooker chicken barley soup!
Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Soup
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Chicken Dumpling Soup
Chicken dumpling soup is the world’s best comfort food, and with this easy recipe you can make it in a jiffy! The perfect soothing meal.
Chicken Dumpling Soup
Chicken dumpling soup is the world’s best comfort food, and with this easy recipe you can make it in a jiffy! The perfect soothing meal.
Chicken Tortellini Soup
It’s hard to improve on the deliciousness that is chicken noodle soup, but adding tortellini to the mix might do it! Try it today with this easy recipe.
Chicken Tortellini Soup
It’s hard to improve on the deliciousness that is chicken noodle soup, but adding tortellini to the mix might do it! Try it today with this easy recipe.
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Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!

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Published on September 18, 2022

Good for: Comfort Foods, Dinner In A Hurry, Kate's Favorites

Last Post:
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  1. PoetessWug says

    January 31, 2011 at 12:05 am

    Yep! I've been using these boxed broths like mad!!…In everything! Love them…and love chicken soup too. I'm gonna have some today as a matter of fact! :-)

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    January 31, 2011 at 12:21 am

    I spent most of my childhood eating Campbell's based chicken soup so it's no surprise that I'm never super excited when I see a recipe for it. That being said, I've seen SO MANY of them in the past few days that I figure there must be something redeeming about it. And actually. T his sounds awesome.

    Reply
  3. Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says

    January 31, 2011 at 12:36 am

    i totally agree that the Imagine chicken broth is the best out there. About as low in sodium as you can find without making your own! i always stock up when it goes on sale!

    Reply
  4. AppleyEverAfter says

    January 31, 2011 at 2:19 am

    Whole Foods has really good chicken broth. I never feel guilty for buying and using it. Oh, and I love adding some lemon juice to my chicken noodle soup. So good.

    Reply
  5. Fun and Fearless in Beantown says

    January 31, 2011 at 3:01 am

    What a great way to make a quick chicken noodle soup! I use the second brand of chicken broth and love it!

    Reply
  6. Natalie says

    January 31, 2011 at 6:39 am

    Definitely going to try this! I attempted to make chicken noodle soup from scratch and it was awful but I'm determined to learn how to make a great one.
    Also, love the Bunnykins bowl – takes me back to my childhood :)

    Reply
    • Elizabeth says

      March 6, 2022 at 7:11 pm

      I noticed the bunnykins off the bat. I have a set.
      I love this recipe but I sometimes use bone in pork chops and cook for eight hours and they melt in your mouth. Other spices like rosemary and garlic powder and shallots. I add a couple of dashes of liquid smoke (Wrights only).
      So yummy! Put on a layer of mashed potatoes, or add pasta, rice or even couscous.

      Reply
      • Kate Morgan Jackson says

        March 7, 2022 at 10:47 am

        Elizabeth! First of all, I am so glad you have this bunny bowl. It’s really hard to find these day – I get lots of questions about it. Second, I love your variations – especially the layer of mashed potatoes part! :)

        Reply
  7. a Broad says

    January 31, 2011 at 2:14 pm

    OK, I can do this .
    It is raining and cooling off , might even be in the 70s later. Maybe I can stand to have soup for dinner.
    besos ! C

    Reply
  8. gail says

    April 24, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    When do you use the thyme? is it for the chicken or the broth?
    thanks

    Reply
    • Kate says

      April 24, 2012 at 5:20 pm

      Whoops! You stir it in with the parsley – all fixed now. Thanks for your eagle eye! :)

      Reply
  9. Maura Cooper says

    October 6, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    I like to do a riff on this. Instead of parsley and thyme I add one fresh garlic clove smashed, a coin of fresh ginger in matchsticks, juice of half a lemon, the leaves from one bunch of fresh cilantro. With all that flavor going on I don’t even need salt & pepper! Too lazy to add noodles. Just made this last week and it was fabulous if I say so myself.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      October 7, 2019 at 9:21 am

      Love your riff (well, except for the cilantro because I am not a cilantro person, but I know lots of people are!). Sounds like a lovely spiced up version of this old classic. :)

      Reply
  10. Janet says

    October 13, 2022 at 1:31 pm

    I made this – with one or two tiny variations. I used my Instapot to cook the chicken breast – basted with olive oil – added salt and pepper, and cooked in Instapot.
    Once the breast is done – I took it out and shredded the meat.
    Then added the stock, carrots, celery, and dried parsley (didn’t have fresh on hand) to the Instapot – turned on the saute feature until the water boiled.
    Once this all was boiling – added noodles and cooked for the length of time suggested on the pasta box.
    Then added chicken.
    My husband said he could eat this every night. LOL

    Chose to keep the prep in one pot – fewer dishes to do. :-)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      October 17, 2022 at 11:33 am

      Janet! This is such a great variation on the process – thank you for this! And, guess you know what you can always make for dinner that will be a hit, right? :) Happy Monday.

      Reply
  11. wonderful cook says

    December 7, 2022 at 10:13 pm

    Fabulous recipe! I am so happy with the flavor of this chicken noodle soup. Love an easy recipe that’s super impressive. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      December 8, 2022 at 11:46 am

      Thank you so much – I’m so happy that you liked it! :)

      Reply

Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

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