Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
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Our Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is a comfort food classic, with tender pieces of chicken, fresh vegetables, pasta, in a flavorful chicken broth.
Sometimes you just want a bowl of soup that tastes like it’s been simmering away on the stove for hours, but you need it in less than an hour, this is the soup for you!
You’ll love this soup for chilly days or when you just want a wholesome meal in a hurry. It’s a classic soup that’s perfect for anytime, but especially when you’re under the weather too!
Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
- Olive oil: You’ll need this for cooking the chicken and sautéing the vegetables.
- Chicken thighs: Boneless and skinless chicken thighs provide tender and flavorful bites of chicken. You can also use chicken breasts, whichever you do use, make sure you’re chicken is fully cooked. You can also use rotisserie chicken and add it in when you add the pasta.
- Onion: We love fresh onion in our soup, but you can use shallots, or omit completely.
- Celery: We also love celery, but know some do not, you can omit if needed.
- Carrots: Use regular orange carrots or try using rainbow carrots too!
- Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic adds a beautiful aromatic flavor note to the soup, but you can use a 1/4 of a teaspoon of granulated garlic as well.
- Dried thyme: You can use fresh if preferred.
- Chicken broth: Homemade chicken broth, store bought chicken broth, either works!
- Pasta: Use your preferred pasta like egg noodles or ditalini.
- Fresh herbs: We love adding some fresh dill and fresh parsley for color and flavor.
How to Make Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken thighs and cook for about 8 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the vegetables by chopping the onion, slicing the celery and carrots, and mincing the garlic.
In the same Dutch oven, add more olive oil if needed, then sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until they are slightly translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and dried thyme, cooking for an additional minute.
Pour in the chicken broth and add the chopped chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir in fresh herbs like dill or parsley. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the pasta and continue boiling until the pasta is fully cooked.
Serve the soup warm and garnish with extra fresh herbs, if desired.
Recipe Tips and Alternatives
- Storing: Keep leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or microwave.
- Freezing: Freeze the soup (without the pasta) in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Add freshly cooked pasta after reheating to maintain texture.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice for a brightness like no other! Love lemon chicken soup? Try our Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Add other vegetables like parsnips, spinach, kale, zucchini, turnips, peas, squash, or even potatoes!
- Not a fan of pasta? Add leftover cooked rice once boiling instead.
- Use cooked chicken breasts or shredded rotisserie chicken for a quicker option.
Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 stalks celery sliced
- 4 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6-8 cups chicken broth homemade or storebought
- 1 cup pasta
- fresh herbs dill or parsley
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, over medium heat, add the olive oil and once hot add in the chicken thighs. Cook for 8 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool enough to chop into bite size pieces.
- While the chicken thighs are cooking you can prep the veggies.
- To the dutch oven, add more olive oil if needed along with the onion, celery, and carrots. Once slightly translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes, add in the garlic with dried thyme and cook for another minute.
- Add in the chicken broth, chopped chicken thighs, fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and then bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta and boil until the pasta is cooked.
- Serve as desired.
Video
If it’s quick and easy it is for me, i love chicken noodle soup, something the whole family can always agree on. Great fall and winter recipe!