30-Minute Chicken Noodle Soup (From Scratch)

Does the idea of homemade soup sound too intimidating to you? What if I showed you how to get a steaming pot of delicious from-scratch soup on the table in just 30 minutes? Give it a try — your family will soon love this recipe too!

Our family enjoys soup all year round, but cooler weather definitely heightens my cravings for a warm bowl of soup.

Plus, soup is usually quite frugal to make (it’s a great way to clean out your veggie drawer) and it can easily be stretched to feed a few more mouths if necessary.

But my favorite thing about soup is that I can make it in the morning and let it simmer on the stove or in a slow cooker until dinner… meaning there’s no last-minute rush to get food on the table when everyone is hungry.

We love this quick + easy Chicken Noodle Soup!

My kids aren’t always as excited about soup as their mom… but they do love most soups with noodles, so my Chicken Noodle soup is one they willingly eat.

NOTE: If you’re looking for a gluten-free chicken soup, try my easy and delicious Chicken and Rice Soup!

I make this soup when we have leftover chicken from another meal — otherwise, I do usually have bags of pre-cooked, pre-portioned chicken (or turkey) in the freezer for quick soups and casseroles.

If you don’t have all day to let your soup simmer and you need to get food on the table now… you can whip up a pot of this homemade soup in roughly 30 minutes (using leftover or pre-cooked chicken).

Serve it with a roll, a crusty slice of sourdough, or a few crackers — so simple!

Ingredients for 30-Minute Chicken Noodle Soup

• 2 T. oil or butter
• 1 onion; diced (about 1 c.)
• 8 c. broth or water
• 1 t. poultry seasoning
• 1 t. dried basil
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 1 t. salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 c. carrots; diced (about 4 full carrots)
• 1 c. celery; diced (about 3 stalks)
• 1/3 c. cornstarch or flour
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 c. chicken; cooked and chopped
• 8 oz. extra-wide egg noodles (1/2 a bag)

Ingredient Substitutions:

Feel free to mix things up a bit based on your taste preferences or what you have in the house. It’s soup after all… you really can’t mess it up too much!

• Try adding corn, sliced mushrooms, diced sweet potatoes, or even diced squash instead of the carrots.
• Try a different combination of spices (although the thyme and poultry seasoning do add a ton of awesome flavors. )
• Use leftover turkey meat and broth after Thanksgiving.
• Add some leftover gravy to the broth to thicken it up a bit.
• Try a different type of noodle (note that some noodles suck up A LOT more broth, so make sure to add more liquid if necessary).
• Use cooked spaghetti squash in place of noodles (I did this recently and it was really good!)

How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup

1. In a large stock pot, melt butter over medium heat

2. Add onions and cook until soft

3. Add broth, all seasonings, carrots and celery and bring to a boil

4. Boil for 15 minutes (or until veggies are getting soft)

5. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 c. water and add to the broth mixture. Stir until slightly thickened (it won’t be very thick yet)

6. Add chicken.

7. Add egg noodles and cook until noodles are tender (you may add more broth or water after noodles are cooked if you want a thinner soup.)

8. Remove bay leaf, eat, and enjoy!

Refrigerate any leftovers for up to a week, or see directions below to freeze.

Can you Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup?

You know I love a good freezer recipe… and you CAN freeze this soup.

However, I would freeze it without the noodles and add those in fresh when you’re ready to serve. Otherwise, they will get quite mushy after defrosting.

If you know you plan to freeze this soup for later, remove some of veggies, chicken, and broth after step 6, before adding the noodles.

How to defrost Chicken Noodle Soup

When you’re ready to eat a batch of frozen soup, simply dump the frozen soup into a large pot and slowly defrost over medium-low heat.

Once the soup is warm, bring it to a boil and add noodles. Boil noodles for 5 minutes, or until tender, and serve.

You could also cook the noodles separately and add the already-cooked noodles into the soup.

When everyone is flying in different directions throughout the day, this healthy, hearty, 30-minute meal will draw them back to the table again — even if it is just for a few minutes!

Want MORE 30-minute meal ideas?

Enter your email address blow for my free download!

And don’t forget to visit my virtual recipe box for more simple, delicious, family friendly recipes!