This homemade healthy chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food to warm up from the inside out! Homemade chicken noodle soup is hands-down better than the salty canned stuff, and this version tastes just like mom used to make. Make a batch at the beginning of the week for easy lunches, or throw it together in just 30 minutes for a quick, nourishing dinner any night of the week. It’s the best! {Gluten-free friendly}
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Easy Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup
The second the temperatures start to drop, we start making soups every week. Chicken noodle is a tried-and-true classic, but this version really warms the soul.
It’s all made in one pot in about 30 minutes, so it checks all those boxes, but it’s the tender pieces of chicken breast, lots of veggies, and plump noodles that make it so flavorful and satisfying. This is truly the ultimate comfort food, and is the best soup for cold and flu season!
For more easy chicken soup recipes, be sure to try this Chicken Pastina Soup and No Noodle Chicken Soup too!
Why We Love This Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Requires one pot and 30 minutes – easy!
- Complete meal with proteins, grains, and veggies
- Created by a Registered Dietitian to be high in protein and fiber and lower in calories and sodium
- Chunky, hearty soup perfect for a cold night
- Super simple recipe that relies on pantry staples
- Filling and satisfying thanks to protein-rich chicken and fiber-filled veggies and pasta
- Made with way less sodium than storebought soup (ideal for kids, adults, and a range of dietary needs)
- Makes great leftovers for a simple meal later in the week!
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 flavor, color, and nutrients to the soup.
- Low-sodium 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 low sodium 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 whole-grain or fiber-enriched fusilli pasta for extra nutrients. You can also sub in gluten-free noodles if necessary.
- Seasonings: Fresh thyme, bay leaves, salt and black pepper are used to season the soup. You can also sub in dried herbs instead of fresh if that’s all you have. I do recommend using fresh parsley for garnish, though!
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 really small bite-sized 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 (this Dutch Oven Shredded Chicken works great) 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
To refrigerate: Store this soup in the fridge in the pot or an airtight container for up to four days.
To freeze: Freeze any leftover chicken noodle soup in an airtight freezer-safe 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.
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 the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Discard bay leaves. Return the chicken to the 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 reduce the duration of ongoing colds (source). Plus, drinking the broth 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 and a stack of crackers or crusty bread for soaking up the broth. You can even serve it in a bread bowl for a really cozy meal!
For extra veggies, serve it with a tossed green salad on the side!
Recipe Variations
The beauty of this homestyle chicken noodle soup recipe is that you can adapt it to suit your taste preferences.
- For extra flavor: 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 flavor profile.
- Add lemon: Add a squeeze of lemon juice and/or some lemon zest for a brighter, more refreshing flavor.
- For a spicy kick: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne to give the soup some heat.
- To make vegan: Use vegetable broth and sub in tofu for the chicken.
- Make your own broth: Homemade broth adds so much flavor and really makes this chicken soup extra soothing! It’s simple, too. Heat a whole chicken (or a pile of chicken bones) in a large pot of water with onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaf. Simmer for a few hours or pop the mixture in the pressure cooker for about an hour. Strain out the veggies and chicken pieces, and use like normal.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Leftover Turkey Rice Soup
- Healthy Chicken Potato Soup
- Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
- Pumpkin Chicken Soup
- Chicken Meatball Soup
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Healthy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup {One Pot}
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 5 large carrots, diced
- 5 ribs of celery, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dry
- 12 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 3 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 November 2024 to include more helpful tips and photos.
How would you adjust this soup to make in crockpot or could you just make a day ahead?
You can definitely make it in the crockpot or make it ahead of time! If you make it ahead of time, you may wish to cook the noodles separately and then just add them in right before serving to prevent them from getting too mushy. For the crockpot, place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker other than the pasta and cook for about 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Add the pasta and then cook for about 15-30 minutes on high or until the pasta is cooked. Hope that helps!
Hi i was curious is the nutritional facts for the whole meal or each individually serving! Thank you
The nutritional facts are for one individual serving. Hope that helps!
Good basic chicken noodle soup. I used a mix of rotisserie and fresh chicken and added some frozen peas and lovage (which grows like a weed int he garden). Liked it a lot.
So happy you enjoyed the soup! Love how you used what you had on hand – I bet it was delicious!
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 :)