This is my all-time favorite chicken noodle soup that I've been making for about 10 years now as it replaced my previous favorite chicken noodle soup recipe. I've had the recipe in my files for about 25 years - but only regularly started to make it about 10 years ago.
You would think I knew the recipe by heart, but because I only try to make it when I have keto or low carb pasta on hand, and typically only in the fall and winter... I don't know it by heart. Too much time passes between making it.
The reason I put *THIS ONE* in the headline is for me so I can find it quickly, glancing over my files.
Egg noodle style pastas work best with this one.
(Amounts are approximate - use as much or little as you wish. I use more celery when I don't use carrot, etc. and I typically use 1/4 c half and half instead of 1/2 c milk because we don't have milk on hand but we usually have cream and half and half because we are primarily low carb. See how you can play with this recipe? But don't leave out the milk and butter, it's part of the delicious flavor of it.)
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken breasts
water
salt
1 T chicken bouillon paste/base or a couple cubes
1/2 c diced fresh onion
1/2 c diced fresh celery
1/2 c carrot (left out to make lower carb)
1/4 c butter
1/2 c milk
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 c noodles
Cook 2-3 chicken breasts in a pan of water (usually about 6 cups), along with about 1/2 cup of onions, celery and some carrots if you are using them. Simmer until done. Remove the chicken and dice it up, and add back into the pan.
Add the bouillon and noodles. Simmer until the noodles are just tender but not yet soft. Add the butter, milk and soup. Salt and pepper according to your taste.
Let simmer on low - but don't let it boil - about 4-5 minutes more and serve.
Notes
I like to use leftover chicken or pre-cooked chicken to make this even faster. I regularly precook chicken breasts in my instant pot and food seal them for the deep freezer for an easy meal later.
You can use rotisserie chicken you've bought from the store as well. But if you use already heavily seasoned chicken (like the rotisserie style) don't use any bouillon soup base or paste and don't salt and pepper until you've tasted it at the end before serving. This also changes the flavor from the original recipe - it's not bad - but it's not the original flavor.
This is amazing with homemade noodles. If you are low carb or keto you have to use a store bought low carb pasta to make this, but I often decide it's totally worth it to make my original version, which used homemade, flour based pasta. It's one of my all-time favorite comfort foods.
