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Why we love this recipe
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. (Sorry, 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 it is.
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.
We want awesome chicken soup, and we want it in fifteen minutes. Here’s how to make that happen!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Chicken: You need shredded cooked chicken for this recipe, and it can be either chicken breasts or chicken thighs (it can also be turkey!). It’s the perfect way to use up leftover chicken, and if you don’t have any of that, grab a cooked rotisserie chicken at your supermarket.
- Chicken Broth: We recommend the variety in the box (instead of the can) although either will work. Boxed chicken broth is in the regular soup aisle of the supermarket.
- Pasta: Any short pasta will work! Egg noodles, bow-ties, elbows – we like to use this recipe as a way to clean out those almost-empty boxes of pasta in our pantry.
- Veggies: Feel free to mix and match! Peas, corn or whatever else you have around will all work…just make sure they are either already pre-cooked or that they spend enough time in the simmering broth to be tender.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Put 4 cups of prepared chicken broth in a pot and heat it over medium high heat to a simmer. Add some chopped carrots, celery, onions and short pasta and cook it until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes depending on the pasta.
Step 2: Stir in a couple cups of shredded cooked chicken and give it a stir. You can also add a handful of fresh chopped parsley if you like. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed. That’s it…you’re done. Seriously!
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Recipe FAQs
I usually just drop everything in my food processor and pulse it a few times – you want small bite sized chunks. You can of course also do this the old fashioned way with a knife and a cutting board.
You can either use two forks or (if you are me) your own clean fingers! Aim for pieces the size of a soup spoon. We don’t recommend the food processor for shredding the chicken – it will make it too shredded and pasty.
That’s another beautiful thing about this soup – you can mix and match anything you like. Have a celery disliker in your house? Just double up on the carrots. Toss in some baby spinach, or some peas. Etcetera and so on!
It will be delicious saved in the fridge for two to three days. The pasta may soak up some of the broth, so just add a little more broth when you are heating it up.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I will answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
Nothing goes with this delectable chicken noodle soup like a nice warm (and also speedy to make!) cream cheese stuffed biscuit.
And you really do need a rum raisin oatmeal cookie for dessert.
Other chicken soup recipes we love
Looking for more soup inspiration? Here is our complete collection of soup recipes!
Doesn’t everything seem right with the world now?
Could you leave us a review?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
Is there anything more wonderful than perfect chicken noodle soup? Here’s a recipe for The Best, Easiest, Quickest Chicken Noodle Soup Ever!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Lactose
Ingredients
- Two cups of shredded cooked chicken
- Four cups 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 (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat broth until simmering. Add carrots, celery, leek or onion and pasta and cook until pasta is done, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in parsley and chicken and season to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes
-
- Chicken: You need shredded cooked chicken for this recipe, and it can be either chicken breasts or chicken thighs (it can also be turkey!). It’s the perfect way to use up leftover chicken, and if you don’t have any of that, grab a cooked rotisserie chicken at your supermarket.
-
- Chicken Broth: We recommend the variety in the box (instead of the can) although either will work. Boxed chicken broth is in the regular soup aisle of the supermarket.
-
- Pasta: Any short pasta will work! Egg noodles, bow-ties, elbows – we like to use this recipe as a way to clean out those almost-empty boxes of pasta in our pantry.
-
- Veggies: Feel free to mix and match! Peas, corn or whatever else you have around will all work…just make sure they are either already pre-cooked or that they spend enough time in the simmering broth to be tender.
Danielle Martello says
If I put in peas and carrots am I using Frozen ones or should I use canned ones I’m confused? Cuz I like lots of veggies in my soup so please let me know thanks for the great recipe regardless;;
Hi Danielle! You can use either frozen or canned veggies – we like the frozen ones better because the taste is fresher. And yes, we love lots of veggies too!
Megan says
Love how simple yet delicious this soup is! Perfect for a cold day and a Christmas movie :)
Is there anything better than a cozy soup and movie? Enjoy!
Sheila says
Is there a substitute to use in place of chicken broth, can I just use water in place of chicken broth. I’m out of broth and is unable to go to the grocery store.
You can – I would give it a little extra salt and pepper to help with the overall flavor. :)
wonderful cook says
Fabulous recipe! I am so happy with the flavor of this chicken noodle soup. Love an easy recipe that’s super impressive. Thanks!
Thank you so much – I’m so happy that you liked it! :)
Janet says
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. :-)
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.
Maura Cooper says
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.
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. :)
gail says
When do you use the thyme? is it for the chicken or the broth?
thanks
Kate says
Whoops! You stir it in with the parsley – all fixed now. Thanks for your eagle eye! :)
a Broad says
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
Natalie says
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 :)
Elizabeth says
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.
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! :)
Fun and Fearless in Beantown says
What a great way to make a quick chicken noodle soup! I use the second brand of chicken broth and love it!
AppleyEverAfter says
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.
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean says
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!
Joanne says
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.
PoetessWug says
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! :-)