American
Chicken Noodle Soup
A clear, savory soup with shredded chicken, carrots, celery, and egg noodles. It is the straightforward version, seasoned properly and not boiled into mush.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Browning the chicken first gives the broth more flavor than simmering it pale.
- Noodles are cooked in the soup, but not so long that they fall apart.
- It uses one pot and basic vegetables.
- It keeps well if you store the noodles separately.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high and brown the chicken, about 3 minutes per side. Remove it.
- 2
Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 6 minutes, until the onion softens. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- 3
Pour in the broth, thyme, bay leaves, and remaining salt. Return the chicken.
- 4
Simmer gently 15 minutes, until the chicken is 165°F and easy to shred.
- 5
Remove the chicken, shred it, and return it to the pot. Add the noodles and simmer 7 to 8 minutes, until tender.
- 6
Take out the bay leaves. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Taste and add salt if the broth is flat.
Pro tips
- A hard boil clouds the broth and toughens the chicken. Keep it at a steady simmer.
- Lemon at the end makes the soup taste finished, not sour, if you stop at one tablespoon.
- If you plan to keep leftovers, cook the noodles in a separate pot and add them to bowls.
Easy substitutions
- Egg noodles
- Small pasta or leftover rice, added at the end.
- Thighs
- Bone-in breasts. Simmer until 165°F, then shred.
- Dried thyme
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme, removed with the bay leaves.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days. Noodles soften further as they sit.
Reheating
Warm on the stove until steaming. Add a splash of water if the noodles drank the broth.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 280
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop, One Pan
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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