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Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup

This homemade chunky chicken noodle soup is better than anything you’ll get out of a can! With chunks of tender, juicy chicken and plenty of veggies, this soup is warm and cozy and everything you could ever want from chicken and noodles. Make up a batch to enjoy right away, or stock your freezer for cooler months. You can’t go wrong either way!

Top-down look at a bowl of chunky chicken noodle soup with broth and sliced carrots.

🍜 What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • Homemade chunky chicken noodle soup is so much better than any canned version! Not only does it taste amazing, but the ingredients are filling and nutritious. You can always customize it to your tastes, too, with whatever spices or veggies you like best.
  • This soup honestly couldn’t be any easier to make! It all comes together in one pot, so clean-up is a breeze, too.
  • Like most soups, chunky chicken noodle soup is great for meal preps and freezer meals. I love to make a double batch whenever I’ve got the time (and/or when chicken’s on sale, or when I need to use up some chicken on hand) and freeze half of it for later. It just makes everything so much easier! We’ve included the info you need to refrigerate or freeze your soup in the recipe card down below.

💰 Our 2-Cents

  • Shop the Sales! Try and shop for meat and poultry when they’re on sale at your local stores. A lot of stores have a set rotating schedule for sales, but a lot will also do random manager’s specials when they need to get rid of overstock.
  • Stock Up on Your Go-Tos! If you can spare the freezer space or have a deep freezer, stock up on proteins when they’re on sale and freeze them to use later. Keeping some back-up essentials in the freezer is a total sanity-saver when grocery prices or sale timings don’t line up with your needs. And I’m not saying go extreme-couponing-stockpile wild or anything like that. Just a pack or two of chicken or ground beef tucked away for a hungry day.
  • Chicken Alternatives! Prices on chicken breasts can be a bit shocking sometimes. When that’s the case, switch to an alternative! Uncooked, unbreaded chicken strips (usually in the freezer section) will work well and the cook time wouldn’t be much different. You can also use chopped rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or canned chicken. Turkey breasts on sale? That’ll work, too!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

  • I recommend taking the chicken out of the pot just before it reaches 165° Fahrenheit. That’s the food-safe temp, but not only will the chicken cook a little more as it rests, you’ll also be adding it back to the soup for another 5-7 minutes later on. If it’s fully-cooked before you take it out to chop it, it’ll be overcooked by the time your soup is ready to eat.
  • For more flavor, you can substitute the water with chicken broth. You’ll need 64oz. which will add $3-4 to your recipe cost, so be sure to factor that in if you’re debating the switch. The water will have a ton of flavor from the chicken breasts, the veggies, and the garlic, so your soup will still be delicious if you don’t use broth! You’re basically making your own here.
  • When you cut up the chicken breasts, be sure to add any juices back to the pot with the chicken. That’s flavor, baby!
Chunky chicken noodle soup with slices of carrots in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot with 2 handles.

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Top-down look at a bowl of chunky chicken noodle soup with broth and sliced carrots.

Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup

This chunky chicken noodle soup is super easy to make. Onion, carrots, celery, chicken breasts and egg noodles are combined and perfectly flavored with spices and herbs.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Recipe Makes: 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 large, heavy-bottomed pot (with lid)
  • large wooden spoon
  • internal meat thermometer
  • tongs
  • cutting board
  • sharp knife

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion (chopped, approximately 1 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 stalks celery (chopped, approximately 1 cup)
  • ½ pound carrots (peeled, chopped; approximately 2 cups)
  • 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approximately 6 ounces each)
  • 8 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 ounces medium egg noodles (uncooked)
  • salt (to taste)
  • freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • chopped fresh parsley (optional, to garnish)

Instructions
 

  • Heat large pot over medium-high heat. When pot is warm, add olive oil and heat until oil is shimmery, swirling pot occasionally to cover entire bottom surface in oil.
  • Once oil is hot, add chopped onions and minced garlic to pot. Stir to incorporate, then sauté aromatics 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
  • Add chopped celery and carrots to pot. Stir to incorporate, then sauté 2 to 3 minutes more.
  • Pour water into pot and add dried parsley and dried thyme. Stir well, making sure to scrape up any bits of onion or garlic that may be stuck to bottom of pot. Once ingredients are incorporated, add chicken breasts and cover pot with lid.
  • Bring water in pot to rolling boil. Once boiling, immediately reduce heat under pot to low and simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 158° to 160° Fahrenheit.
  • Once chicken reaches desired temperature, carefully transfer chicken breasts from pot to cutting board. Set aside to rest 3 to 5 minutes.
  • While chicken rests, season broth in pot with salt and fresh black pepper. Taste broth and adjust spices as needed.
  • Carefully chop chicken breasts into medium-sized chunks, then return chicken to pot.
  • Add egg noodles and stir to incorporate. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until egg noodles are just cooked through.
  • Once egg noodles are ready, ladle soup into serving bowls. Garnish each bowl of soup with chopped parsley if desired and serve soup immediately.

Notes

  • Noodles: You can make this soup with any type of pasta you like best, but I recommend sticking with something that cooks in 7 minutes or less. Longer cook times will make the veggies mushy and overcook the chicken.
  • Make it Gluten Free: Use gluten-free egg noodles or another type of gluten-free pasta.
  • Leftovers: Refrigerate soup in an airtight container. Consume within 5 days of preparing.
  • Freezer Option: Let prepared soup cool completely, then transfer to food-safe freezer bags or other freezer-safe airtight container and place in freezer. Consume within 3 months of preparing. Note – if you’re storing the soup in bags, lay them completely flat until they’re frozen, and then you can store them wherever you want without taking up a ton of room.
  • To Reheat: Portion out desired amount of soup and warm in microwave or on stovetop until warmed through. For frozen soup, defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 205kcal | Protein: 15g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 449mg | Total Carbs: 19g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Net Carbs: 17g | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 38mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Did You Make This Recipe?Be sure to leave us a rating and review below!
Recipe by Cheryl Malik

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