The Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup

Name: The Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 10 servings (about 3-1/2 quarts).
Ingredients: 2-1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs; 1-1/4 teaspoons pepper, divided; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon canola oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 garlic clove, minced; 10 cups chicken broth; 4 celery ribs, chopped; 4 medium carrots, chopped; 2 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme; 3 cups uncooked kluski or other egg noodles (about 8 ounces); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley; 1 tablespoon lemon juice

My first Wisconsin winter was so cold, all I wanted to eat was homemade chicken noodle soup. Of all the chicken noodle soup recipes out there, this one is my favorite, and is in heavy rotation from November to April. It has many incredibly devoted fans.—Gina Nistico, Denver, Colorado

Ingredients

2-1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
1-1/4 teaspoons pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
10 cups chicken broth
4 celery ribs, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups uncooked kluski or other egg noodles (about 8 ounces)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Pat chicken dry with paper towels; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and salt. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches, skin side down; cook until dark golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; remove and discard skin. Discard drippings, reserving 2 tablespoons.
Add onion to drippings; cook and stir over medium-high heat until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan. Add celery, carrots, bay leaves and thyme. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, 25-30 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a plate. Remove soup from heat. Add noodles; let stand, covered, until noodles are tender, 20-22 minutes.
Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to stockpot. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove bay leaves.

Test Kitchen Tips

You can save your chicken bones and vegetable scraps to make broth for yur next soup. Find out how right here.

Nutrition Facts

1-1/3 cups: 239 calories, 12g fat (3g saturated fat), 68mg cholesterol, 1176mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 2g fiber), 18g protein.

Originally published as The Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup in Taste of Home February/March 2016

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Steve

Feb 20, 2019

This recipe made great soup and I just added 1/8th cup of cream sherry wine for that zest flavor!
JoanieK53

Feb 12, 2019

Really good.Baked the chicken in the oven. Set aside to cool. Cooked vegetables in a little oil then continued as directions indicated.
mystimalkove

Feb 3, 2019

This was a very good recipe. The only changes I made were as follows: breasts instead of thighs, the addition of 3 tbsps of chicken base, and we used tiny pasta instead of egg noodles. Very good recipe.
Mary

Jan 30, 2019

I read a lot of reviews before making this. The ONLY change I made was that I used chicken breasts vs chicken thighs. This was by far THE BEST Chicken Noodle Soup I’ve ever had!! Plenty of flavor and warms your entire body up on a cold night!! This will definitely be a regular in our home. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! If you haven’t made this yet, you are missing out!
Peggy

Jan 27, 2019

This recipe is very good! It was a little salty so next time I would do low sodium broth. I also used breasts on the bone instead of thighs to reduce the "grease" as suggested on another review. Lastly, after removing chicken, I brought the broth to boil and cooked the egg noodles according to the package, about 10 minutes and the noodles were perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Ann

Jan 27, 2019

Best chicken soup recipe I’ve ever tried.....and I’ve tried many!!
Jennifer

Jan 19, 2019

This has to be the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had. I have to make double the recipe just so the family can have their share. The only thing I would complain about is the amount of chicken broth. If the soup isn’t getting eaten all in one sitting add anouther 4 cups. Still best soup ever
Rachel

Jan 9, 2019

I hate to give bad reviews but this was just... not good. My mom and I followed the recipe exactly and it was so beyond bland, it was unreal. The noodles also nearly ruined the entire dish with how gross and starchy they made everything. My mom and I ended up having to remove them (painstakingly). I then cooked down another onion and three more cloves of garlic with salt, pepper, chicken stock, some steak spice and a little hoisin sauce. It helps significantly so the soup actually had some taste to it. At first I thought it was just me (because I really don’t care for soup), but the rest of my family was super disappointed as well. :( additionally, the offered time I would not say is at all accurate. At least, not in our case. It took more like 2-3 tbh.
dmkinsey

Jan 7, 2019

Delicious! I made this yesterday because I felt a cold coming on and it seemed like just what I wanted for dinner. I didn't have bone-in chicken thighs, so I used boneless. I might add a tad more garlic next time, but other than that, this is a definite keeper. Husband likes it too. This is the only chicken soup recipe I've made where the noodles didn't expand and absorb most of the liquid!
jackie

Jan 2, 2019

Of course I love it... I've made this identical recipe for 50 years... excluding the lemon and thyme that is!