This quick, easy chicken noodle soup is packed with flavor and made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts plus a special secret ingredient spice. My mother-in-law’s Mennonite-inspired recipe brings comfort and a cozy aroma to your kitchen, perfect for cold days or when you’re feeling under the weather.
I credit my mother-in-law for teaching me the fun art of soup making. I remember sitting at the counter of her cheerful orange wallpapered kitchen, watching her whip up the most delicious soups without ever using a recipe.
She rarely had recipe cards on hand because she seldom needed one. So as I watched her, I’d grab a plain sheet of lined notebook paper and jot down what she was doing.
The other day I unearthed her amazing chicken noodle soup recipe in a long-forgotten binder in my recipe cupboard. I was so excited!!
Making her chicken noodle soup was an all-day affair, with chicken on the bone and hours of simmering. So I took her recipe, combined it with my friend Debra’s wonderful Panera chicken noodle soup recipe, and adapted it for boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I kept the “secret ingredient” she swore would cure all kinds of sickness: star anise.
As it simmered in my kitchen today, my husband and I both said it smells just like Mom’s. I hope you love this soup as much as we do!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Comforting and nourishing: The warm, savory broth and tender noodles make this soup the ultimate comfort food, especially when you’re under the weather.
- Classic homestyle flavor: This recipe brings the taste of old-fashioned, homemade chicken noodle soup like Grandma used to make, with simple, wholesome ingredients.
- Perfect for cold days: Nothing warms you up faster on a chilly day than a steaming bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup.
- Soothing goodness: Tender chicken and a comforting broth are known for their nourishing qualities, which makes this soup ideal when you’re feeling unwell. Adding my mother-in-law’s special ingredient, star anise, makes it extra wholesome (according to her, anyway!;))
- Easy to make with pantry staples: Using basic ingredients like chicken, noodles, and broth, this recipe is simple and budget-friendly, a great option for a quick homemade meal. If you don’t happen to have the “secret ingredient” (star anise), since it’s unusual, the soup is still just as tasty and comforting without it.
Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup
(A printable recipe card is included at the bottom of this post for your convenience.)
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 5 cups good-quality chicken stock (You can use homemade chicken stock, OXO chicken bouillon powder mixed with water, or a carton of chicken stock. I prefer Campbell’s chicken stock with white wine. I bought it by mistake once and found it makes DELICIOUS soup! One carton wasn’t quite enough, so I added the whole carton plus extra OXO bouillon mixed with water to make 5 cups. If you want more broth, add extra.)
- 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 star anise pieces
- 1 cup egg noodles or any pasta noodle you like
- 1 cup frozen peas
Step-by-Step Instructions for Chicken Noodle Soup
- Wash and dice all the vegetables. Cut up the chicken breasts.
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Once hot, add the chicken chunks, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until no longer pink in the center. Transfer to a platter and set aside.
- Add the next tablespoon each of olive oil and butter to the hot pan. Sauté the onions, celery, and carrots for about 3 minutes, until the onion starts to turn translucent. Season with salt and pepper as you sauté. Then add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 2 minutes more.
- Break up the bay leaves and star anise pieces, then place them in a spice ball or tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth. Add all the chicken stock and drop the spice ball into the pot. Use the back of a spatula to scrape up the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes (the longer, the better!), so the carrots become tender and the spices can infuse the soup.
- When ready to serve, bring the soup back to a boil and add the dried noodles. Cook according to package directions. In the last minute, stir in the frozen peas. (Remove the spice ball from the pot before serving.)
What Is Star Anise?
I had never heard of star anise until my mother-in-law introduced me to it. At the time (34 years ago!) it was rather hard to find. Today I quickly found star anise on Amazon! (affiliate link)
Star anise is a star-shaped spice that is really quite pretty. To use it in this soup, simply break the star apart and use 3 pieces.
A quick online search gives this more in-depth description of star anise:
Star anise is used in cooking for its distinct flavor and is also valued for its medicinal benefits. It is grown in China, Indochina, and Japan and is sometimes called Chinese star anise… The star anise pod is picked before it ripens and then dried in the sun, turning a deep brown or rust color. The distinctive flavor comes from anethole, the same oil found in anise seed, which gives it a licorice taste. – from The Spruce Eats
What to Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup
We love soup with some kind of yummy bread, like Dutch oven sourdough bread, honey oat sourdough sandwich bread, or Mom’s fluffy baking powder biscuits.
How to Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup
This soup freezes beautifully without the noodles. If you want to make it ahead and freeze it, complete all the steps except adding the noodles and peas. (Do that step right before serving.)
To save space when freezing soup, let it cool completely and then ladle it into a large, heavy-duty zipper-top bag. Lay the bag flat, squeeze out the air, and seal it completely. Place it on a metal cookie sheet in the freezer until it’s frozen solid. Then you’ll have a nice flat bag that stacks easily in your freezer.
Other Soup Recipes You Will Enjoy
- Bring the restaurant home with this Olive Garden-style chicken gnocchi soup.
- This creamy tortellini soup with sausage and spinach is so very delicious!
- This old-fashioned potato soup is one of our family favorites, and it’s even more special with this dumpling recipe.
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Easy & Best Chicken Noodle Soup
This quick, easy chicken noodle soup is packed with flavor and made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts plus a special secret ingredient spice. My mother-in-law’s Mennonite-inspired recipe brings comfort and a cozy aroma to your kitchen, perfect for cold days or when you’re feeling under the weather.
Ingredients
Method
- Wash and dice all the vegetables. Cut up the chicken breasts.
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Once hot, add the chicken chunks, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until no longer pink in the center. Transfer to a platter and set aside.
- Add the next tablespoon each of olive oil and butter to the hot pan. Sauté the onions, celery, and carrots for about 3 minutes, until the onion starts to turn translucent. Season with salt and pepper as you sauté. Then add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 2 minutes more.
- Break up the bay leaves and star anise pieces, then place them in a spice ball or tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth. Add all the chicken stock and drop the spice ball into the pot. Use the back of a spatula to scrape up the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes, so the carrots become tender and the spices can infuse the soup.
- When ready to serve, bring the soup back to a boil and add the dried noodles. Cook according to package directions. In the last minute, stir in the frozen peas. (Remove the spice ball from the pot before serving.)
