How to Make the Panera Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe at Home

The only thing more comforting than chicken noodle soup is when you have it specially made at your favorite restaurant. Something about the experience is so satisfying you might not consider that you can have your favorite soup anytime at home. All you need is this Panera chicken noodle soup recipe.

Why Make the Panera Chicken Noodle Soup at Home?

The one thing that can make your comfort food even better is knowing that it was made with thoughtful, intentional ingredients in your own home. You get to call the shots as to what goes into your recipe when you make it, and who you share it with – if anyone.

You’re also making nutritious food. When you select your ingredients, each item brings protein, vitamins, and minerals to nourish and promote good health.

Making this chicken noodle soup at home also saves you money. Even if you were to head into the restaurant instead of having it delivered, you’re still paying top dollar for the convenience, preparation, and expense of pre-prepared soup. You may be able to make two or three batches of this soup at home for about the same price you’d pay at the restaurant for one bowl.

Here’s the Panera Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Not all recipes can be recreated at home, but this one’s nailed it. The blend of ingredients closely mirrors the one you love and is easy to assemble. Here’s the chicken noodle soup recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter (unsalted if possible)
• 1 cup onion, peeled and diced
• ¾ cup carrots, chopped
• ½ cup celery, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
• 4 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or 3 tsp dried)
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ⅛ tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the diced onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook until the veggies are softened, usually around four to five minutes.
2. Next, add in the thyme and bay leaves. Cook for an additional minute.
3. Carefully add the chicken or vegetable broth and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
4. In another pot, cook the egg noodles according to package directions. When done, drain the noodles and add one teaspoon of olive oil to help prevent the noodles from sticking together. Set aside.
5. Add the parsley, onion powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper to the soup. Stir until combined.
6. Cut the chicken breasts into ½ inch pieces before adding them to the soup.
7. Add the noodles to the soup, cover, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
8. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, fish out the bay leaves and discard or compost them.
9. Ladle into large bowls and enjoy.

Some people prefer to thicken their broth. You can do this by adding one tablespoon of flour or cornstarch at a time to the soup and stirring until it dissolves while letting it simmer. Once you have the consistency you want, it’s ready to eat.

Tips for Making This Soup at Home

It’s always best to make the soup as it is in the recipe for the first time. But after that, there are ways to make this recipe even easier. Here are some tips:

• Make the soup in the crockpot. The trick to making this work is to make the noodles separately and add them to the soup before serving. Cook on high for four to six hours or low for seven to eight hours.
• Keep the noodles separate if you make this soup but won’t be serving it until another time. The noodles can become mushy if they sit too long. This includes leftovers.
• Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or a salad as a whole meal.
• If you want the full Panera experience, serve your soup with a side of baguette, chips, or an apple.
• Think ahead when you know you want to keep this soup in your meal plan or enjoy the option to make it fast on a moment’s notice. Always cook extra chicken and freeze it. You can also freeze your diced veggies to throw in the pot when ready to make the soup.

These are just a few tips to get you thinking about ways to simplify your soup prep at home. Try these and come up with what works best for you. When you do, you’ll become a kitchen prep pro.

Variations and Substitutions for Your Soup

You already love the original chicken soup recipe, but you can have fun with it and create your own personalized version of it. Here are some ideas:

• Use canned or rotisserie chicken in place of raw chicken breasts.
• Replace the noodles with cubed potatoes (to be added when the broth goes in).
• Add other vegetables like corn, peppers, mushrooms, water chestnuts, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc.
• Season the way you like with herbs and spices like nutmeg, sage, rosemary, oregano, chili powder, etc. Add extra seasoning of the spices you love – more garlic would be great.
• Any cut of chicken can be used in this recipe.
• Make this a vegetarian soup by replacing the chicken with white beans or tofu and using vegetable broth.
• Double or triple the recipe to freeze it for easy, fast meals at another time. Don’t forget to leave out the noodles until it’s been reheated.
• Add heavy cream or milk for a richer, creamy broth.
• Try a dash (or more) of your favorite hot sauce.
• Use different types of noodles. Cook them according to the package directions and add when you would have the egg noodles.
• Add leftover rice in place of the noodles.
• Make your soup gluten-free.. Use gluten-free noodles the same way you would egg or regular noodles, according to the recipe.

How to Store Your Chicken Noodle Soup

If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, you can keep the extra soup in the refrigerator for up to four days. You may freeze it for up to three months. Reheat the soup in a pot on the stove over medium heat or thaw and heat in a microwave-safe bowl.

Make Your Own Panera Chicken Noodle Soup in Your Kitchen

You don’t have to wait until you feel under the weather to enjoy chicken noodle soup. Comfort food can be enjoyed any time of the year for any reason.

Not only can you now provide a nutritious meal for yourself and others, but you’re also saving money by making it yourself. With so many good things about making this recipe in your home kitchen, you might as well get started on your own pot now.

You can also read:

• A Deliciously Tasty Crack Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
• A Deliciously Tasty Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
• How to Make the Panera Vegetable Pesto Soup Recipe at Home
• How to Make Panera Bread’s French Onion Soup Recipe at Home
• A Deliciously Tasty Hong Kong Borscht Soup Recipe