Simmering bone-in thighs directly in the stock does double duty: it cooks the chicken and deepens the broth at the same time, so there's no separate stock-making step. The noodles go in only at the end, after the chicken comes out to be shredded, so they stay tender instead of bloating in the hot broth while you wait.

One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Scale

Method

Warm the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onion softens and turns translucent.
8 min
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
1 min
Nestle the chicken thighs into the pot and pour in the stock — it should just cover the chicken. Add the bay leaves and thyme, bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer and partially cover. Cook until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part.
25 min
Lift the chicken out with tongs onto a board. Once cool enough to handle, shred the meat off the bone and discard the skin and bones.
5 min
Bring the broth back to a boil and add the egg noodles. Cook until tender.
8 min
Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the lemon juice. Warm through, season with salt and pepper, discard the bay leaves, and finish with parsley before serving.
3 min

Tools for this recipe

Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven Will last a lifetime and looks great in the kitchen
Fox Run 4119 Wooden Spoon 10 Inch Kitchen essential
Kitchen Silicone Non Stick Stainless Grilling Tongs Great value and work well
ThermoPro Seconds Instant Read Thermometer Cheap, and does the one thing it needs to do well.

Substitutions

Bone-in chicken thighs — A rotisserie chicken, shredded and stirred in with the noodles instead of simmered whole — faster, but the broth will taste thinner since nothing cooked in it.
Egg noodles — Any short pasta, added straight to the simmering broth for the time its package lists.
Dried thyme — A few sprigs of fresh thyme, fished out along with the bay leaves before serving.

Storing leftovers

Keeps 4 days in the fridge, though the noodles will keep soaking up broth and soften further — loosen leftovers with a splash of stock or water when reheating. To freeze, store the broth and shredded chicken without the noodles, which turn mushy when frozen and thawed; cook fresh noodles into the broth as you reheat it.

Questions

Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?

Yes. They cook a little faster and dry out if left too long, so start checking the temperature at 18 minutes rather than 25.

Can I make this ahead for the week?

Make the broth and chicken through step 4, then refrigerate. Add the noodles fresh each time you reheat a portion so they don't turn soft sitting in the broth.

Why does the broth taste thin even with 8 cups of stock?

Simmering the chicken in it for the full 25 minutes is what builds the flavor — if you pull it early, give the broth a few more minutes on its own before adding the noodles.