Smart Grocery Shopping Tips When You’re Already Pinching Pennies

When money’s tight, the grocery store can feel like a minefield. I’ve walked in with just $50 to feed my family for the week and felt the weight of every single item that went into my cart. (And have experienced that icky embarrassment when I have to put something back at checkout time!) Do I…

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Overhead view of a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.

When my body is tired and achy, or I’m feeling a bit under the weather, I always throw together this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. The aroma that fills my house as it cooks is absolutely delicious, and the “from scratch” chicken soup flavor makes it the ultimate comfort food. But don’t worry, this surprisingly simple and easy recipe makes the BEST homemade chicken noodle soup with very little hands-on time!

“I just made this soup, and after 30 years of being alive, I have to say this is the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had! My fiancée feels the same way and this is now the only chicken noodle soup I’m allowed to make, or want to make for that matter. Thank you for this recipe!!! Its amazing!!!! 🙏”

Trevor

Chicken Noodle Soup Made with Simple Ingredients

I start this soup with a simple mirepoix of onion, carrot, and celery, along with a little garlic for extra depth. As they simmer with the chicken breasts, they deepen the flavors of the chicken broth and make it taste like it’s been cooking all day. Basil, thyme, bay leaf, and freshly cracked pepper give it a classic warm flavor, while the wholesome veggies add plenty of color and texture to each bowl. I just LOVE this easy chicken noodle soup!

To make sure your soup has the most flavor possible, follow these easy tips:

Make sure your dried herbs are fresh. Dried herbs lose flavor over time, so check those expiration dates!
Don’t rush it. This soup needs to simmer for quite a while to get the most flavor out of the chicken, vegetables, and herbs. But don’t worry, it doesn’t require much attention as it simmers away! Be sure to simmer over a low heat to avoid overcooking the chicken and veggies.
Season to taste. Salt doesn’t just make food taste “salty,” it actually helps our tongue distinguish different flavors. Different chicken broths have different levels of salt. So make sure you season to taste at the end to get the full effect of all of those delicious flavors.
Try bone-in chicken. The bones can give the broth a TON of flavor! I’d go for skinless, bone-in chicken breast because I prefer white meat in my chicken noodle soup. If you’re more of a dark-meat person, feel free to use thighs or drumsticks! Follow the recipe as written, but remove the bones when you shred the chicken.
You can make this recipe even faster by swapping out the raw chicken with cooked, shredded chicken. Just stir in the shredded chicken at the end!
Want to use the slow cooker? Follow my slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipe to make this yummy soup in the crockpot!

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The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

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This is the BEST easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. It’s delicious and made from scratch, just like Grandma used to make!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Total Cost $11.11 recipe / $1.39 serving

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 45

Servings 1.5 cups each

Calories 213kcal

Author Beth Moncel

Equipment

Large Soup Pot

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion $0.99
3 garlic cloves $0.12
4 carrots $0.65
2 ribs celery $0.70
1 Tbsp fresh parsley $0.08
2 Tbsp olive oil $0.38
1 tsp dried basil $0.25
½ tsp dried thyme $0.24
1 bay leaf $0.12
¼ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.02
1-3 tsp salt divided, $0.02
2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless $6.21*
8 cups chicken broth $0.72**
6 oz. egg noodles uncooked, $0.61

Instructions

Gather your ingredients.
Dice onion, mince garlic, peel and dice carrots, dice celery, and mince the fresh parsley. Set the parsley aside.
Add olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery to a large soup pot and cook on medium heat until vegetables have softened, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the minced garlic, dried basil, dried thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, and 1 tsp salt to the pot. Stir and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Add chicken breasts to pot and cover with the chicken broth.
Cover the pot with a lid, bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour. Make sure the pot continues to simmer for the whole hour. If the heat is turned down too low and it is not bubbling away, the chicken will not shred easily.
After an hour of simmering, remove the chicken from the pot. Using two forks, pull the meat and shred it. Taste the broth and season with additional salt, if needed. Begin with one teaspoon and add more to your liking. I didn’t need to add much salt because there’s already plenty in the bouillon I used to make the broth.
Add the egg noodles to the pot, turn the heat up to high, and boil the noodles until tender (about 7 minutes). Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Taste and season again with salt if needed (I didn’t need to).
Finish with fresh parsley and serve hot!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*You can also use bone-in chicken breasts (split bone-in chicken breasts), thighs or drumsticks. The bones will add even more flavor to the broth! Just remove the bones when you shred the meat.

**We like to use Better Than Bouillon to keep our broth costs low.

Nutrition

How to Make Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Step-By-Step Photos

The ingredients to make homemade chicken noodle soup.

Gather all of your ingredients.

Diced carrots, celery, onion, minced parsley, and minced garlic on a wooden cutting board.

Prep the veggies and aromatics: Begin by dicing 1 medium yellow onion, mincing 3 cloves of garlic, peeling and slicing 4 carrots, dicing 2 ribs celery, and mincing 1 Tbsp fresh parsley. Set the parsley aside.

Diced onion, carrots, and celery in a soup pot.

Sauté the mirepoix: Place the onion, carrots, and celery into a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are softened, stirring occasionally. This should take about 6 minutes.

Add the seasonings: Add the minced garlic, 1 tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, ¼ tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Chicken breasts and broth added to a soup pot.

Add the chicken and broth: Add 2 chicken breasts to the pot along with 8 cups of chicken broth.

Chicken noodle soup base before simmering in a soup pot.

Bring to a boil: Cover the pot and bring up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for one hour. Make sure you don’t turn the heat down so low that it stops simmering. It needs to simmer the whole time.

Two forks shredding chicken breasts on a plate.

Shred the chicken: After an hour of simmering, pull the chicken out of the pot. Use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces. Now taste the broth and season with additional salt, if needed. Begin with one teaspoon and add more to your liking. I didn’t add much salt because there’s already plenty in the bouillon I used to make the broth.

Uncooked egg noodles added to chicken noodle soup in a soup pot.

Add the noodles: Now stir in 6 oz. egg noodles, turn the heat up to a boil, and cook until tender (about 7 minutes). You can use any noodle that you like, but I really like egg noodles for this soup. They have a nice firm texture, and they don’t disintegrate in the soup.

Shredded chicken added to a pot of chicken noodle soup.

Finish the soup: Add the shredded chicken back to the chicken soup, stir to combine, and you’re ready to eat! It’s never a bad idea to give it one last taste and adjust the salt if needed. (I didn’t need to add any more).

Finished chicken noodle soup in a soup pot.

Now your homemade chicken noodle soup is ready to serve and enjoy!

Side view of a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Serving Suggestions

When I make chicken noodle soup, I usually like to have some bread on the side to soak up the broth. A crusty store-bought baguette or sourdough works great in a pinch, but if you’ve got a little time, my no-knead focaccia or our hearty soda bread make the whole meal totally homemade! Some soft, pillowy dinner rolls would also be delish for dipping. 🤤

Storage & Reheating

This recipe makes about 12 cups, so it’s not a bad idea to freeze some for later. To freeze it, I divide it into single portions, make sure it is chilled completely in the refrigerator, then transfer it to the freezer for up to 3 months. A quick reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove makes it an easy go-to meal when you’re short on time or feeling under the weather!

You can also store this soup in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Just note the noodles will soak up some of the broth during storage and become much softer.