20 Minute Chicken Noodle Soup
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is winter comfort food in a bowl. Ready in 20 minutes, this quick and easy version makes a healthy meal possible for busy families!
During winter, you just can’t go wrong with a bowl of soup. Warm, hearty, and filling, soups are a great way to simplify cooking (all ingredients are in one pot!), “hide” nutritious veggies, and even use up the near-spoiling scraps of food in your fridge.
One of my family’s favorite soups is the good ol’ classic chicken noodle soup. This soup in particular is known for many healing properties, so it’s a great choice when your immune system needs a boost (and most of us do need this boost, especially during cold and flu season).
After I started making chicken noodle soup at home, I have to admit that I became a bit of a chicken noodle soup snob—the store-bought soups just didn’t cut it anymore. And that’s okay, because I discovered a way to make chicken noodle soup—from scratch—quickly and easily.
Tricks for Cooking From Scratch
Here are my shortcuts to making this soup from scratch in less than 20 minutes:
At least once a month, I buy (or make) a whole rotisserie chicken, shred the meat, and freeze it for a later meal.
After shredding the chicken, I keep the bones to make slow cooker chicken broth. (If I’m unable to make the broth immediately after cooking the chicken, I freeze the bones for later.) I nearly always have a stash of 2- or 3-cup portions of homemade broth in my deep freeze. (Note: As an alternative to making broth in your slow cooker, you can also use the awesome Instant Pot!)
Whenever we have fresh carrots, celery, or onions which are close to spoiling and need to be used up, I dice the vegetables and freeze them in freezer bags to use in a soup or casserole later.
Did you catch the key to all my tricks? Freezer, freezer, freezer! The truth is, it’s hands-down the best method for serving real food to my family (and saving time and money)!
However, even if you don’t have a freezer or make your own broth, you can still make a delicious and nutritious homemade chicken noodle soup!! Low sodium store-bought broth can absolutely work in this recipe.
Use any kind of cooked chicken, or leave it out completely for a tasty vegetarian soup. You can ven try substituting frozen vegetables in place of fresh carrots when you’re in a pinch.
You can certainly experiment with this recipe and adapt it to your own tastes—the basic recipe is just the broth, layered with your choice of veggies and a few spices to kick up the flavor.
Next time you need a quick, easy, and healthy lunch or light dinner, try classic homemade chicken noodle soup!
20-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Total time
20 mins
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is winter comfort food in a bowl. Ready in 20 minutes, this quick and easy version makes a healthy meal possible for busy families!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp butter
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken broth
1½ cups cooked chicken, shredded or roughly chopped (rotisserie chicken works well)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¾ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried sage
8 oz pasta (whole wheat or gluten free)
Instructions
In a large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic; sauté 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, chicken, and spices. Bring to a boil.
Stir in pasta and cook 5-7 minutes, until noodles are soft.
Do you have a family favorite soup?
What ways do you use your freezer to save time?
Thank you to Lindsey, from Simple Saver Wife for sharing this post and recipe today!
