Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Soft egg noodles and tender shreds of chicken make this soup a familiar pleasure to eat. Carrots add sweetness to the savory broth, and fresh thyme gives each spoonful a gentle herb flavor that fits the chicken beautifully.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Noodles · Soups · Soups & stews
A few quick notes
1. Soften the first vegetables gently
The onion, garlic, and celery only need a few minutes in the butter, just until the onion turns translucent. That short start gives the broth more flavor without browning the vegetables.
2. Let the chicken simmer whole
Add the chicken breasts to the broth whole, then simmer them with the carrots and thyme. After 20 minutes, they’re meant to come out and shred with two forks before going back in.
3. Hold the noodles until the end
The egg noodles are already cooked just shy of done, so they go in after the chicken is shredded. That keeps them from soaking up too much broth while the soup simmers.
Get to know the ingredients
Unsalted butter
Starting with unsalted butter lets the kosher salt in the recipe do the seasoning work. It also gives the onion, garlic, and celery a softer, rounder start than dropping them straight into broth.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
The chicken breasts cook directly in the soup, then get shredded and returned to the pot. There’s no separate cooking step, so keep them whole when they go in.
Egg noodles
Use cooked egg noodles, and cook them 1 minute shy of the package directions. They finish in the hot soup after the chicken is back in the pot.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 2 steps completeMake room for Classic Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Shred, stir, and serve
Once the chicken has simmered, pull it out, shred it with two forks, and return it to the soup with the cooked noodles. After that, it’s ready to serve.
A little more help as you go
About the built-in timer note
Watch the vegetables during their short cook at the start, then simmer the soup for 20 minutes once the broth is in.
Use the visual cue early on
The first vegetables should look translucent before you add the broth, chicken, carrots, and thyme. That cue matters more than trying to push them further in the pot.
A few questions you might have
Do I cook the chicken before adding it to the soup?
No. Add the boneless skinless chicken breasts to the pot with the broth, carrots, and thyme. They simmer in the soup, then you remove and shred them.
Should the egg noodles be raw when they go into the pot?
No, they should already be cooked 1 minute shy of the package directions. Stir them in at the end with the shredded chicken.
When do the carrots go in?
The carrots go in with the broth, chicken, and thyme after the onion, garlic, and celery have cooked until translucent.
How do I know when to add the broth?
Add it after the onion, garlic, and celery have cooked in the butter with the salt and pepper for 3 to 4 minutes, or until translucent.
Why are the noodles cooked a little under?
They’re cooked 1 minute shy so they can finish in the hot soup after they’re added, rather than turning too soft before serving.
Any more cooking tips?
Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinnerthendessert.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
