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This simple, healthy, Lemony Pesto Chicken Noodle Soup is the perfect winter soup to warm up with. A mix of shredded chicken and green vegetables simmered with herbs, lemon, and classic egg noodles. Finish each bowl off with a sprinkle of parmesan and fresh dill. Serve this soup with crusty homebaked bread, and you’ll have a delicious full meal. This soup is hearty, full of protein, vegetables, and nutrient-packed herbs – and so delicious. It’s the coziest bowl for any night. Plus, the leftovers the next day make for the best lunch!
The very first recipe of 2024. It’s a very “green” chicken soup, and it’s the perfect reset recipe for this week. People often put so much pressure on themselves to make this first week of the new year super wholesome, super productive, and ALL THINGS HEALTHY. But it doesn’t need to be so intense. We can still enjoy the yummiest foods.
There’s no need for any cold, boring salads. It’s January, and it’s cold outside. Steamy soups, big warm bowls of delicious curries, and quick stir-fry dinners are the route I’m taking.
First up, chicken noodle soup with REAL egg noodles. It’s the only way to go. So yummy!
The idea with this bowl of deliciousness was to make it yummy but also full of protein and vegetables. The chicken was an easy addition. Then, I doubled up on the usual celery and carrots combination and also added broccoli, spinach, and even more antioxidant-rich herbs.
I then added rich bone broth and basil pesto that I picked up from the store. This turned out SO GOOD. It’s a great soup for these chilly, short winter days. It really satisfies all your winter cravings.
Details For You
Step 1: toss everything in a pot
Start by cooking the onion with olive oil and butter. Then add shallots and garlic and double up on the celery and carrots. Mix in fresh thyme, rosemary, and crushed fennel seeds for rich flavor, then season generously with salt and pepper.
Once everything has had a few minutes to cook, pour over the broth. I love to use chicken bone broth for added flavor, nutrients, and protein. Just 2 cups should have between 10-20 grams of protein. It will also vary depending on the brand you purchase; I like Kettle and Fire. You could also make your own, but I haven’t been brave enough to try that yet!
Step 2: simmer
Now, mix in the chicken and broccoli. I use a mix of chicken thighs and breasts. For the broccoli, the key is to give it a really fine chopping. You don’t want any big chunks of broccoli in the soup.
Let everything simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Once the chicken is cooked, you can then leave the pot on the stove for a few hours to simmer. Or chill the soup and serve it the following day for even more flavor.
Step 3: shred the chicken
Shred the chicken, then mix in the basil pesto, spinach, and lemon juice.
Now, mix in the noodles and cook them right in the broth. I love to use a thick, homestyle egg noodle. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s usually have nice options!
Step 4: serve
Just before serving, I like to stir in a bit of parsley. Then simply season with salt and pepper to make sure it’s just perfect!
I’d highly recommend serving this soup with a side of crusty bread; it’s the best accompaniment to this bowl of soup.
Lastly, if you’re planning to enjoy this soup leftover, be sure to first remove the noodles before refrigerating. Removing the noodles from the broth prevents the noodles from soaking up all the broth. Then, simply add them back in before serving.
Looking for other soup recipes? Here are my favorites:
Brie and Cheddar Apple Beer Soup
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup
Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup
Pumpkin Beer Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Lastly, if you make this Lemony Pesto Chicken Noodle Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemony Pesto Chicken Noodle Soup
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 399 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel
- salt and black pepper
- 8 cups chicken bone broth
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2-3 cups egg noodles
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- parmesan and fresh dill, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Melt together the olive oil and butter In a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 3-5 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme, rosemary, and fennel. Season with salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes. 2. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the chicken and broccoli, and if you have one – a parmesan rind. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. At this point, the soup can also simmer on low for up to 4-6 hours.3. Shred the chicken and remove the parmesan rind. Stir in the pesto, spinach, and lemon. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup back to a boil, then add the noodles and cook 6-8 minutes, until soft. Stir in the parsley.4. Serve the soup with parmesan and dill, if desired.
Crockpot
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the olive oil, butter, onions, shallots, garlic, celery, carrots, thyme, rosemary, and fennel.2. Pour in the broth. Stir in the chicken, broccoli, and if you have one – a parmesan rind. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low.3. Crank the heat to high. Shred the chicken, remove the parmesan rind. Stir in the pesto, spinach, and lemon. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Add the noodles and cook 10-15 minutes, until soft. Stir in the parsley.4. Serve the soup topped with parmesan and dill, if desired.
This post was originally published on January 2, 2024
This was YUM. Perfect for a cold night. It was almost a nice mix of part pasta/part soup using long thick noodles. Great flavor! My only comment is I do a lot of cooking and the prep on this is more than 15 min, but it was nothing crazy and definitely worth it. Thanks Tieghan!
Thank you Stacy! Have an amazinggg weekend! 🙂 xT
Just to clarify, we’re supposed to set the temperature on low once we put the lid on to cook for 20 minutes, right? We’re not supposed to leave it on high that whole time.
Hi there! I usually let it simmer for 20 mins on high! If you’re needing or wanting to leave it on longer then I would turn it to medium/lo temp and let it simmer. Hope this helps! xT
Okok so I’ll admit I was skeptical about the pesto and being GF I had to sub out the noodles and use flat rice ones instead buuut it was Deeeelish!! My only thing I found was all of the liquid vanishes very fast so I had to use legit 8L chicken stock as the chicken absorbed soo much once shredded + so did the spinach. But well worth it. It was amazing, I feel like our Italian basil pesto gave it a umami flavour somehow it was too good!
Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT
I made this 2 nights ago and we are obsessed. It is so incredibly good. Perfect comfort food. I started off on the stove but after getting everything nice and sauteed I switched to the crockpot and just let it cook the whole day. Added the noodles in at the last. Definitely making it again. Thanks Tieghan, another great recipe.
Hey Dana! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
Best soup recipe – most amazing flavor, and very easy to put together with ingredients I always have on hand.
Thank you so so much Christy! xT
This is the best chicken soup I have ever made! The pesto added such a rich dimension to the soup and I plan on using it with other dishes.
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
My bf from CO introduced me to HBH over winter break and I was excited to try my first recipe from you. Wow, what a crowd pleaser which says a lot for our fam of 5, inclusive of our 16yo son who seems to never be full. Looking forward to tonight’s HBH recipe!
Wow thank you so much Meghan! Hope you loveee this soup! xT
I made the crockpot version and loved it. Added extra lemon and vegetable broth because used whole package of egg noodles. Made enough to easily feed 8. Perfect today because cold and rainy. Eager to have leftovers tomorrow.
Thank you Michelle! Have a great week! xT
Made this soup for dinner last night and it was hands down the best chicken noodle soup I ever had! Thank you for all the amazing recipes, Tieghan!!
Hey Izabella! I’m so happy you loved this chicken noodle soup! xT
Everyone loved this recipe including my 6 year old. Such a flavorful soup. A delicious take on traditional chicken noodle soup. I bought a rotisserie chicken to save time and made home made egg noodles for the first time ever. This recipe will be replacing my current chicken noodle soup recipe.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Aja! 🙂 xT
I made this yesterday. Absolutely delicious! We loved it and will make again. I used my homemade chicken bone broth and Springer Mountain thighs.
Hi! I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
Delicious! Kid approved! Put this one the “make again” list!
Thanks so much Kim! xT
Can I mix bone broth and chicken stock if I don’t have enough bone broth on hand?
Hi there! Yes, that should work just fine! xT
This was very flavorful. We used chicken thighs, and instead of shredding them just cut them in pieces. And because this was supposed to be a work day lunch, we boiled it down to a stew rather than a soup (we don’t have containers to hold a soup for a bumpy bike ride)
Hi! I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out! xT
I was blown away at how flavorful this was. Absolutely delicious!
Hey! Thank you so much for trying the recipe out! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! 🙂 xT