Craving Panera's chicken noodle soup, but you don't live near one? Check out our copycat recipe. It's classic comfort food that's so warm and cozy, you'll want it on repeat.
If you're a fan of Panera's soups, you'll definitely want to try our copycat recipes for their 10 vegetable soup and their bistro French onion soup.
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Ingredients
All the ingredients for this copycat chicken noodle soup are very easy to find at your local grocery store. In fact, you probably have most of the ingredients already in your pantry.
- Fat: We used unsalted butter to saute the aromatics and veggies, and olive oil to drizzle on the egg noodles.
- Vegetables: We used yellow onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.
- Dried Spices: We used bay leaves, thyme, sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, and turmeric.
- Broth: We used reduced sodium chicken broth.
- Meat: We used 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Pasta: We used 4 cups of wide egg noodles.
- Fresh Herbs: We used curly parsley for the photos, but Italian flat parsley is what Panera uses.
Questions
On January 7, 2016, Panera changed all their soup recipes so that they are "clean." This means there is no artificial flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives. Their home style chicken noodle soup is low in fat and has carrots for extra vitamin A.
Yes, the new recipe rolled out on January 14, 2021. In their own words, they say it's "packed with tender egg noodles, warm veggies and chunks of white chicken meat, but will feature a new and enhanced flavor."
For a cup and a half (large order) of Panera's chicken noodle soup, it has 160 calories, 5g fat, 19g carbs and 14g protein. Our copycat recipe has 168 calories, 5g fat, 14.5g carbs, and 15.8g protein for the same serving size.
Yes, you can make everything the night before except the noodles. This copycat chicken noodle soup tastes even better the next day. Reheat the soup in a large pot on the stove over medium heat.
Serve
Panera serves their chicken noodle soup with your choice of baguette, kettle chips, or an apple.
To round out your meal, add a light green salad, a slice of crusty bread, and some fresh fruit.
How to Make
Gather all the ingredients. Dice the onion. Mince the garlic, and chop up the carrots, celery, and parsley.
Melt the butter over medium heat, then add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until the onion is soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes.
Add the garlic, thyme, and the bay leaves. Stir constantly until the spices bloom and the garlic is fragrant, roughly 1 minute.
Deglaze the pot with a wooden turner and ¼-1/2 cup of chicken broth. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot to give more flavor to the soup.
Pour in the rest of the broth. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Taste and add the salt, black pepper, onion powder, and turmeric. Stir well.
Submerge the 2 chicken breasts in the broth and simmer for 20 minutes, then remove them to see if their internal temperature is 165°F. Allow the chicken to cool enough to handle, then cut or shred the chicken into bite sized pieces and stir it into the soup. Taste and adjust any seasonings, if necessary.
Cook the wide egg noodles according to the package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil to prevent sticking.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the freshly chopped parsley.
To serve, place ½ cup of cooked noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the soup on top and serve hot.
Variations
- Want your soup thicker? Whisk cornstarch with 1 cup of hot broth and return to pot..
- Want more vegetables? Double the carrots and celery.
- Don't like egg noodles? Use any other small pasta.
- Want to add another spice? Try rosemary.
- Need this gluten free? Use gluten free pasta.
Pro Tips
- For the best flavor use fresh ingredients, not frozen.
- Cook the onion until it's soft and golden brown.
- Deglaze the pot with chicken broth.
- Taste before adding the uncooked chicken and then again at the end and adjust seasonings to your preference.
- Don't cook the noodles in the soup, they will absorb the liquid and will get soggy.
Love Panera soups? Check out our other copycat recipes.
- Bistro French Onion Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- 10 Vegetable Soup
- Turkey Chili
- Summer Corn Chowder
- Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- Autumn Squash
- Broccoli Cheddar
- Baked Potato Soup
Love Panera's baked goods? Check out our other copycat recipes.
- Tomato Basil Bread
- Black Pepper Focaccia
- Lemon Drop Cookies
- Kitchen Sink Cookies
- Chocolate Chipper Cookies
- Cinnamon Crunch Bagels
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Recipe
Panera Chicken Noodle Soup Copycat
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup onion, diced
- ¾ cup carrots, chopped
- ½ cup celery, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups chicken broth, reduced sodium
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 1.3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 4 cups dried wide egg noodles or gluten free noodles
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Melt the butter until it's foamy in a large, heavy bottomed pot set over medium high heat. Add the mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery), stirring frequently until the onions are soft and light golden brown, roughly 5-6 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and the 2 bay leaves and cook until fragrant, roughly 1 minute, while constantly stirring.
- Pour ½ cup of broth into the pot and use a wooden turner to scrape the browned fond off the bottom of the pot. This will create additional flavor.
- Pour in the rest of the broth and stir with a wooden spoon. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Taste the broth, then add the salt, black pepper, onion powder, and turmeric.
- Submerge the two chicken breasts, making sure they are covered with the broth, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the meat and place on a plate. Using a meat thermometer, ensure that the internal temperature is at a minimum of 165°F. Allow the chicken to cool enough to handle.
- Cook the egg noodles in a separate pot according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water, then toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Cut or shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, then stir the meat back into the pot. Taste and adjust any spices, if desired, then remove the 2 bay leaves.
- Stir in the fresh parsley.
- Add ½ cup of noodles to the bottom of each bowl and ladle the hot chicken soup on top. Serve with fresh bread, a salad, and fruit to round out the meal.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use fresh ingredients, not frozen.
- Taste the soup before adding the uncooked chicken, and then again at the end. This allows you to adjust the seasonings to your preference.
- Don't cook the noodles in the soup; they will absorb the liquid and get soggy.
Tanya
Wow. This was so flavorful. We loved it. I might cut back on the pepper to 1/2 t. In the future but it was perfect. I used a rotisserie chicken instead of the chicken breasts because that’s what I had.
Thanks for this recipe. It’s a keeper.
Emma
You're very welcome, Tanya! Thank you!
Alex
The soup is light and the chicken is juicy. The carrots are soft, the noodles are buttery, and the celery adds a nice touch of flavor. Yum, yum!
Emma
Glad you liked it, Alex!
Beth
This is an inviting, homey soup. The carrots, noodles, and celery are soft. The chicken is very flavorful and perfectly cooked. The broth is rich and delicious.
Emma
Thank you, Beth! We're glad you enjoyed it so much!