Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup (2024)

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This hearty chunky chicken noodle soup is perfect for cozying up on a cold day! The chunky soup recipe is ready in about 40 minutes and will warm you from the inside out. Perfect for a quick family weeknight dinner on a chilly night!

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Homemade chunky chicken noodle soup

Made with minimal effort, this chunky chicken noodle soup is one of the most flavorful soups I’ve ever made! Full of chicken bits, filling pasta, and nutritious vegetables, it’s a full meal in a bowl!

Although soup recipes are perfect for the colder months, I make them year-round. It’s simply tasty comfort food, especially this classic chicken noodle soup.

While I totally understand the appeal of shredded chicken and finely chopped veggies in soup, I love how hearty this chunky version is. If you’ve never had chunky soup before, you’re in for a treat!

My family loves delicious homemade soups like chicken and stars, ravioli soup, chicken Florentine soup, and yellow pepper soup.

Ingredients for chunky chicken soup

Let’s take a look at the chunky chicken noodle soup ingredients! Each component is fresh, wholesome, and easy to find.

Chicken: To start off the soup, you’ll need uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Egg noodles: Be sure to buy quick-cooking egg noodles, not old-fashioned.
Vegetables: You need diced carrots, celery, and onion. This veggie mix is called “mirepoix” or “holy trinity” and adds fantastic aromas.
Chicken broth: I like a good-quality low-sodium chicken broth to control how much salt goes into the dish.
Olive oil is needed for browning the chicken and sauteing the vegetables. You can also use butter or a mix of butter and olive oil.
Salt + pepper for seasoning. I like fine sea salt and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper.
Herbs: In this soup, I’ve used fresh minced parsley. But dried or fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, or tarragon would be great substitutions or additions as well.

How to make chunky chicken noodle soup

Making chunky chicken soup is as easy as can be! It’s the perfect dish to whip up on chilly nights when you crave something warm and comforting. All you have to do is brown the chicken, sauté the veggies, and then cook everything until tender.

This is just an overview. See the printable recipe card toward the end of the post for the full ingredients and directions.

Step 1: Brown chicken

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
When hot, add the chicken chunks and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side.
Using tongs, set the chicken cubes aside on a plate.

Step 2: Soften veggies

Reduce the heat to medium, and add diced onion, carrots, and celery.
Cook for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until softened.
Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

Step 3: Bring to a boil

Return the chicken cubes (including meat juices from the plate), and add parsley, salt, and black pepper.
Pour in the chicken broth and give everything a gentle stir.
Cover the pot and increase the heat to medium-high.

Step 4: Simmer

Once the soup has come to a mild boil, reduce the flame to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Step 5: Cook noodles

Stir in the egg noodles, cover, and increase the temperature to medium.
Heat until the noodles are cooked through, for about 7 minutes (or as instructed on the packaging.)

Step 6: Serve

Give the soup a taste. If necessary, add more salt and pepper.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with a slice of crusty bread on the side.

Tips and tricks

Are you excited to try this homemade chicken soup recipe? I hope so because it’s incredibly tasty! Before you start cooking, let me share some helpful tips with you.

Use those chicken juices. The browned chicken chunks will release some liquids after putting them on the plate. These juices are incredibly flavorful. Be sure to pour them into the soup when you return the chicken to the pot.
Don’t overcook the noodles. I actually prefer to cook my egg noodles a minute shorter than instructed on the package. The noodles will continue to cook once you take the pot from the stove.
Thicker soup: You have a few options to thicken chicken soup. First, you can cook the broth down further. Second, thicken the soup with a cornstarch slurry. In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp cold water. Stir until smooth, and you no longer see lumps. Stir the mixture into the soup and cook until thickened. But chances are you don’t have to use either of these methods because the noodles continue to soak up liquid after the soup is done cooking.
Creamy soup: To make this a creamy chicken soup, stir in 1 cup heavy cream or softened cream cheese towards the end of the cooking time. If choosing cream cheese, add it in small portions and stir well to dissolve it in the warm broth. This ensures you don’t end up with little clumps in your soup.

Serving suggestions

Delicious crusty bread is perfect for dipping into the hearty soup. Buttery cornbread or a simple green salad would also be great.

Making chicken soup ahead of time

Chunky chicken noodle soup is one of those recipes that just taste better and better the longer it sits. Prepare the soup entirely in advance if you’d like!

When it’s time to eat, just reheat and add an extra splash of chicken broth or water if thickened up too much.

You can also prep ahead for this recipe. Chop the chicken and vegetables ahead of time and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Storage instructions

Fridge: Store leftover chunky soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: This chunky chicken noodle soup can also be frozen for longer storage. Make sure the dish is completely cooled, then transfer to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat however you’d like (e.g., stovetop or microwave).

Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb / 450 g boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-in / 2.5 cm chunks
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large yellow or white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish (or 1 tbsp dried parsley)
3 tbsp olive oil
6 cups / 1400 ml / 48 fl oz low sodium chicken broth
1/2 - 1 tsp fine sea salt, or according to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or according to taste
8 oz / 225 g quick-cooking egg noodles (wide or extra wide)

Instructions

Brown chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken chunks and brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Using tongs, set the chicken cubes aside on a plate.
Soften veggies. Reduce the heat to medium, and add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Bring to a boil. Return the chicken cubes (including meat juices from the plate), and add parsley, salt, and black pepper. Pour in the chicken broth and give everything a gentle stir. Cover the pot and increase the heat to medium-high.
Simmer. Once the soup has come to a mild boil, reduce the flame to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Cook noodles. Stir in the egg noodles, cover, and increase the temperature to medium. Heat until the noodles are cooked through, for about 7 minutes (or as instructed on the packaging.)
Serve. Give the soup a taste. If necessary, add more salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with a slice of crusty bread on the side.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 258Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 277mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 26g

FAQ

Can I use chicken thighs?

Sure! Swap in skinless, boneless chicken thighs if you want to make this chunky soup recipe but don’t have a chicken breast. The instructions are exactly the same.

Can I make this with turkey?

Yes! Turkey breast is a good stand-in for chicken. The soup is also perfect for using up that leftover holiday turkey! Skip the first step. Instead, cut your roasted turkey into bite-sized pieces, add it together with the broth and cook as described.

What can I use with other noodles?

Of course! You can prepare the soup with any pasta you like and have at hand. I recommend noodles that cook in 5 to 12 minutes. If the pasta needs to be cooked longer, the vegetables might get mushy.

What’s the difference between chicken stock and chicken broth?

Chicken stock is created by simmering bones. Stock has a richer taste because the gelatin in the bones releases extra flavor.
Chicken broth is made by simmering meat and is lighter in color and taste.
You can use both stock and broth to make this chunky chicken soup recipe.

Is this dish really good for you?

With quality ingredients, yes, chunky chicken noodle soup is healthy. The soup steam might ease congestion, and the warm broth soothes a sore throat. Plus, the mix of chicken and vegetables is very nutritious.

Is this a Campbell’s chunky chicken noodle soup copycat?

Not technically. It shares similar ingredients, but I can’t say with certainty how close the flavor is. Try it and let me know!

Chunky chicken noodle soup nutrition

Let’s talk chunky chicken noodle soup calories! 1 serving contains 258 calories, 10 g fat, 15 g carbs, 26 g proteins, and 277 mg sodium. See the recipe box above for the complete nutritional information.