This homemade healthy chicken noodle soup is the perfect comforting dish to serve when the cooler weather arrives and is so much better than store-bought! Make up a batch at the beginning of the week for a quick, easy and tasty lunch or one-pot dinner throughout the week. It only takes 30 minutes to prepare! {Gluten-free friendly}
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Healthy Chicken Soup – In One Pot!
If you’re on the hunt for a hearty and delicious homemade chicken noodle soup recipe, then you’ll love this healthy chicken noodle soup!
Made with chicken breasts, lots of veggies, noodles and fresh seasonings, you can’t go wrong with a pot of this warm and cozy soup. It’s the ultimate comfort food!
Whether it’s cold and flu season or you need to get dinner on the table ASAP, this recipe is the perfect homestyle chicken noodle soup that’s super quick and easy to prepare!
For more easy chicken soup recipes, be sure to try this Chicken Potato Soup and Healthy Chicken Soup too!
Why We Love This Low Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup
- One pot meal – All of the ingredients can be tossed into a large pot for a quick meal that requires minimal prep and clean up. It also makes for a balanced meal because you have your protein, grains, and vegetables cooked all in one pot!
- Simple – This easy chicken noodle soup recipe can be cooked in 30 minutes, so it requires minimal time and effort. And the best part is, no fancy ingredients are required!
- Hearty & filling – With the protein-rich chicken and fibre-filled veggies and pasta, this soup is incredibly satisfying. This ain’t no wimpy can of store-bought chicken noodle soup!
- Much healthier than store-bought – What I love about making chicken noodle soup from scratch is that you can control the sodium level. Canned chicken noodle soup is generally in the ballpark of 830mg of sodium for a one cup serving (which is about half to a third of the recommended daily intake). With homemade chicken soup, you can use reduced-sodium or no salt-added broth to control your intake. You can also pump up the fibre and protein by adding more chicken and veggies!
Required Ingredients
- Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts, or sub in skinless boneless chicken thighs, if desired. If you already have shredded chicken on hand, you can also add it to the soup and skip the step where you cook the chicken breasts.
- Vegetables: Carrots, celery, onion and garlic add plenty of flavour, colour and nutrients to the soup.
- Broth: Use a low-sodium chicken broth from the store, or sub in homemade chicken stock or bone broth if you have some on hand. When I make this soup, I generally use no salt-added store-bought broth and we each season our own bowl of soup accordingly. This is one of the best ways to control individual sodium consumption.
- Pasta: Use whatever type of noodles your prefer. You can switch it up depending on what you have on hand. Some good options would be fusilli, rotini, egg noodles or vermicelli. When I make this soup, I generally use a whole-grain or fibre-enriched fusilli pasta for extra nutrients. You can also sub in gluten-free pasta if necessary
- Seasonings: Fresh thyme, bay leaves, salt and black pepper are use to flavour up the soup. You can also sub in dried thyme if that’s all you have.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch
- Step 1 – In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook onion, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-6 minutes or until onion is translucent and fragrant. Add the thyme and cook for an additional minute.
- Step 2 – Next, add the chicken broth and bay leaves. Turn the stove up to high and bring broth to a boil.
- Step 3 – Add chicken breasts, turn the stove down to medium low and simmer the chicken for 15 minutes.
- Step 4 – Next, add the pasta to the pot and simmer for an additional 10-12 minutes until pasta is al dente and chicken has cooked through and is no longer pink inside.
- Step 5 – Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred using two forks.
- Step 6 – Add shredded chicken back to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Tips for the Best Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cut the vegetables so that they’re roughly the same size. This ensures that they all finish cooking at the same time. To make it more kid-friendly, you may wish to cut the carrots and celery into smaller bite-sized pieces pieces.
- You may need to add some extra broth if the soup has been sitting for a while as the noodles tend to absorb the liquid the longer it sits.
- If you want to save on time, you can add pre-shredded chicken that you’ve cooked ahead of time or use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken breasts in the broth. You would need about three cups of shredded or diced chicken for this soup recipe.
- This healthy chicken noodle soup recipe is a great recipe if you’re looking to do some meal prepping or batch cooking. It makes 8 servings, or you can easily double it and freeze any leftovers in individual containers or large ziploc bags for quick and easy meals.
Storage & Reheating Guidelines
Refrigerator: Store this soup in the fridge in the pot or an air-tight container for up to four days.
Freezer: Store any leftover chicken noodle soup in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months. If you do choose to freeze it, I highly recommend cooking the noodles separately and freezing the soup without the noodles, or else they might get mushy. When you’re ready to serve, simply thaw the soup and add the freshly cooked noodles.
To reheat: Reheat this soup on the stove in a large saucepan over medium low heat until heated through. Be careful not to turn up the stove too high as it may cause the soup to stick to the bottom of the pan. You may wish to add some additional broth or to the soup when reheating it to thin it out a bit as the noodles tend to absorb the liquid the longer it sits.
Recipe FAQs
No, it’s not necessary. That’s what I love most about this soup! It’s a one pot meal so the chicken breasts cook right in the broth along with the rest of the ingredients. Simply add the raw chicken breasts to the broth and boil for about 20-25 minutes. Once the chicken is tender, remove the breasts from the pot and use two forks to shred the chicken. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir to incorporate it into the soup.
No, you don’t have to use fresh thyme or parsley, although it does lend a nice flavour. If you wish to sub in dried herbs, feel free to do so. Instead of adding one teaspoon of fresh thyme, you can sub in half a teaspoon of dried. The fresh parsley is totally optional too.
Yes! To make slow cooker chicken noodle soup, combine the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, and chicken breasts in a crock pot. Pour in the broth and cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks. Discard bay leaves. Return chicken to slow cooker and add the noodles. Cook on high, covered, until al dente, about 10-15 minutes. You can also cook the noodles separately and add to the soup once cooked.
Chicken noodle soup has a good balance of ingredients that contain immune-boosting properties. The carrots consist of vitamin A, which plays a role in immune response. The chicken and stock both contain zinc which may help fight against the common cold when consumed in adequate amounts. Plus, by drinking the broth, it can help you stay adequately hydrated (especially if it’s lower in sodium) which is not always the easiest thing to do when you’re sick.
What to Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup
I like serving this healthy chicken noodle soup with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley or thyme.
It also pairs well with crackers or some crusty bread (or served in a bread bowl) for the ultimate comforting dish. Brings back all of those warm and cozy childhood memories!
Recipe Variations
The beauty of this hearty chicken noodle soup recipe is that you can adapt it to suit your taste preferences.
- For extra flavour: Add some additional fresh herbs (think thyme, rosemary or parsley), or fresh minced garlic. You can also finish the soup with a drizzle of olive oil or add some turmeric or fresh ginger to add a different flavour profile.
- For more zesty flavour: Add a squeeze of lemon juice and/or some lemon zest for a brighter, more refreshing flavour.
- For a spicy kick: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne to give the soup some heat.
- To make gluten-free: Use gluten-free noodles.
- To make vegan: Use vegetable broth and sub in tofu for the chicken.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Leftover Turkey Soup!
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
- Pumpkin Chicken Soup
- Chicken Meatball Soup
- Lazy Lasagna Soup
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 5 large carrots thinly sliced
- 5 ribs of celery thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dry
- 12 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups dry pasta of choice such as rotini, fusilli or egg noodles (I used whole-grain fusilli)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnishes:
- Top with finely chopped fresh parsley if desired
Instructions
- In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook onion, carrots, celery and garlic for 5-6 minutes or until onion is translucent and fragrant. Add the thyme and cook for an additional minute.
- Next, add the chicken broth and bay leaves. Turn the stove up to high and bring broth to a boil.
- Add chicken breasts, turn the stove down to medium low and simmer the chicken for 15 minutes. Next, add the pasta to the pot and simmer for an additional 10-12 minutes until pasta is tender and chicken has cooked through and is no longer pink inside.
- Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred using two forks.
- Add shredded chicken back to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Cut the vegetables so that they’re roughly the same size so that they all finish cooking at the same time.
- You may need to add some extra broth if the soup has been sitting for a while as the noodles tend to absorb the liquid the longer it sits.
- If you want to save on time, you can add pre-shredded chicken that you’ve cooked ahead of time or use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking the chicken breasts in the broth. You would need about 3 cups of shredded chicken for this soup recipe.
- This chicken noodle soup recipe is a great recipe if you’re looking to do some meal prepping or batch cooking. It makes 8 servings, or you can easily double it and freeze any leftovers in individual containers or large ziploc bags for quick and easy meals.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in October 2018 and was updated in September 2022 to include better recipe tips and photos.
What would be the serving size for this?
A serving size would be about 2 cups.
This was my first time making any kind of soup and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. This is a pretty simple recipe. I didn’t add any chicken cubes but I added canned chicken broth. Thanks for sharing!
Yes!! Glad to hear you enjoyed the soup!
I am enjoying a bowl of this flavorful soup as I write this review. I love it. It turned out really delicious. I added fresh garlic and zucchini. Thank you for posting this recipe.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the soup!! Love the addition of the extra garlic and zucchini! Thanks for stopping by to leave a review :)