Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (One Pot, From Scratch)
Feeling a little under the weather? Don't worry about it — I got you. I first posted this soup as an Instagram reel, and it's remained one of my go-to sick-day pots because it's made completely from scratch, so you can go ahead and throw those cans away. I brown the chicken first for flavor, sweat the vegetables down in butter, then let everything simmer together in one pot until it's rich and comforting. It's the kind of bowl that fixes just about anything.
The original reel had one pitch: go ahead and throw those cans away. From scratch here doesn't mean complicated — the chicken gets seasoned and browned flat in the pan before any liquid shows up, then a half stick of butter and the diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic sweat down in that same pan.
After that it's a true one-pot cook — the browned chicken goes back in, the egg noodles cook right in the broth, and the thyme and bay leaves just lay on top through a 30-minute covered simmer on low. If somebody in your house is under the weather, this is the pot to put on.
Chicken Noodle SoupThe recipe
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (One Pot, From Scratch)
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 pounds chicken thighs or breasts (caption lists 1.5 lbs thighs; dark meat adds more in-depth flavor)
- 1 whole onion, diced
- 2 to 3 carrots, diced (caption lists 2)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced (caption lists 2)
- fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish — completely optional)
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- onion powder, to taste
- smoked paprika, to taste
- lemon pepper seasoning, to taste
- oil, for browning (amount not stated in the video)
- 1/2 stick butter
- cream of chicken (amount not stated in the video)
- 6 to 8 cups chicken stock (caption lists 6 cups chicken broth)
- 2 cups egg noodles (amount from caption)
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
How to Make It
- Dice the onion and carrots, chop the celery, mince the garlic, and chop the parsley; set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Add the oil to a heated pan over medium heat.
- Lay the chicken pieces flat in the pan and brown each side — it does not have to be cooked all the way through.
- Remove the browned chicken and set it aside.
- Add the half stick of butter to the same pan.
- Add all of the prepped vegetables to the pot.
- Sweat the vegetables down for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season the vegetables with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and lemon pepper, and mix it all in.
- Stir in the cream of chicken.
- Pour in 6 to 8 cups of chicken stock and mix well so the seasonings blend together.
- Place a lid on the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Return the browned chicken to the pot.
- Add the 2 cups of egg noodles and stir until everything is evenly blended.
- Lay 3 to 4 thyme sprigs and the 2 bay leaves on top.
- Cover with the lid and cook for about 30 minutes on low heat.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Garnish with the chopped parsley (optional) and serve.
Curtis's Tips
- Feeling a little under the weather? Don't worry about it — I got you. This one's from scratch, so you can go ahead and throw those cans away.
- You can use chicken thighs or breasts — it's really up to you. Dark meat (the thighs) just adds more in-depth flavor.
- Cook on medium heat and don't try to turn it up too hot — you don't want your food to burn.
- The chicken does not have to be cooked all the way when you brown it — it finishes cooking during that 30-minute simmer.
- The parsley is just for garnish; that part is completely optional.
- Once it's done, remove those thyme sprigs and that bay leaf — you don't want anybody choking on that. So pause.
Why this works
The seasoning goes on twice, and that's the detail to keep. The chicken gets salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika before it hits the oil; the vegetables get the same lineup — plus lemon pepper — after they sweat in the butter. Then the 6 to 8 cups of stock get mixed in well so it all blends through the broth.
The browning is for flavor, not doneness — the chicken comes out with color but not cooked through, and the 30-minute covered simmer finishes it. Everything stays on medium heat, because turned up too hot, it burns before it ever simmers.
FAQ
Should I use chicken thighs or breasts?
Either — it's really up to you. The caption I wrote on the original reel lists 1.5 pounds of thighs, and dark meat adds more in-depth flavor, but breasts work just fine too.
The chicken isn't fully cooked after browning — is that okay?
Yes, that's on purpose. You're just putting color on each side; the chicken comes back to the pot later and finishes cooking during the 30 minutes covered on low heat.
Is it chicken stock or chicken broth?
I've used both words for this one. In the video it's 6 to 8 cups of chicken stock; the caption I wrote on the reel lists 6 cups of chicken broth. Either way, the pot gets 6 to 8 cups.
Do the thyme sprigs and bay leaves really have to come out?
Yes — that part's not optional. Once it's done, fish out the sprigs and both bay leaves before anybody gets a bowl; you don't want anyone choking on one. The parsley, on the other hand, is just garnish — completely optional.
Estimated nutrition, per serving (recipe makes about 6 servings): ~348 calories · 26 g protein · 19 g fat · 18 g carbs. Computed from the ingredient list using standard reference values — an estimate, not a lab analysis; your exact brands and portions will vary.
