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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.
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 was delicious!!! A pleasant twist on chicken noodle soup!
Happy Friday! Thank you for trying out this recipe, and have a great weekend! xT
Absolutely delicious and easy to make! I made this while my daighter and her husband were visiting and it was a big hit – will definitely make again!
Happy Friday! Thank you for trying out this recipe, and have a great weekend! xT
This is the perfect soup for cold wintery days. I made the soup in the crockpot and cooked on low for six hours. I added kale and Swiss chard to the soup in addition to all the other vegetables. The soup smells wonderful as it cooks with the pesto. I was wondering how the noodles would cook in the crockpot when added in the last few minutes of cooking , but they did soften up in about 15 minutes. Thanks for sharing the delicious soup recipe with us!
So glad you enjoyed this soup! Stay cozy out there! xT
I’ll be honest, I have avoided your recipes because you seem to be a massive fan of pesto and I barely tolerate it. This soup may have converted me to be more open to trying pesto recipes, especially if they are yours.
We have contracted the worst cold we’ve had since 2019. A pre-Covid type cold for sure, and doctors have confirmed it’s not Covid (I am grateful we have avoided it thus far, if a normal cold-not even the flu!-knocked me out this badly, Covid would kill me and I quite like my life). Its the coldest week in Southeast England we’ve had all winter, and that plus the cold from hell means when my wife sent me this soup reel with all the lovely fresh herbs and the dill (I’m obsessed with dill) I decided I’d try to actually follow it to the letter, pesto and all.
We couldn’t get to the Asian market too look for the thick cut noodles, so the Tesco egg noodles had to do. They were lovely, but a pain to fish out. Necessary evil, I’ll need to figure out a different way to add them, search the Asian market or bite the bullet and make my own.
Genuinely the best chicken noodle soup I have had in my life, only rivalled by the Filipino chicken noodle soup I had once. It felt very Brazilian with the lemon (this is a compliment of the highest order, my family is Brazilian) and it felt like home. The pesto wasn’t fluff, it added a lovely fresh element when it mixed with the lemon that I hadn’t expected it to.
Anyway, one to add to our soup rotation, and I’m excited to learn I can freeze it!
Hi Chel! Wow, I’m SO glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you sooo much! Also, I hope you are feeling better soon! I am so sorry that you and your family are sick! xT
Any advice on how to make in instant pot?
I haven’t ever tried this in the instant pot before! So sorry! xT
Made this…. I broke up lasagna noodles instead of using egg noodles.
Everything else was fantastic. Made fresh bread and with all of the extra I had I passed along some to my neighbor who loved it. 🙂
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
OMG! This was awesome! So many vegetables! Everyone loved it. This is a keeper! I used orzo the first time I made it. Then the 2 nd. time I used Remes noodles.
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
This was SO unexpectedly good! I served 5 people for dinner on a sub zero night, two people were sick….and this soup made everyone SO happy! We made homemade noodles and had apple pie for dessert. Unfortunately, we had no leftovers bc it was still being talked about the next day. Thank you for these free recipes!! You have a gift!
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
Delicious! This version of chicken noodle soup is faaaar better than your mama’s soup! So much flavor and the tip for finely chopping the broccoli so it disappears is right on. I used sun dried tomato pesto (avoiding basil), and it adds a deeper flavor than regular chicken noodle soup.
GF tip – I find the GF noodles dissolve after a while, so I cook them separately, add them to each person’s bowl when I serve, then store them separately (I never add them to the soup).
This recipe is perfect – thank you Tieghan!
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
The soup looks amazing and I can’t wait to make ! Are you able to give the recipe for the noodles ?
Hi Lauren! Here is the recipe! https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/essentials/
This soup was delicious. Easy to make, but so flavorful and nutritious! I will definitely make again and again.
Hi Kathy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 xT
I cannot begin to describe how delicious this soup is. Windchill outside is -30, but this soup made me not care! Followed the recipe exactly as written. It did not disappoint.
Oh wow, that is COLD! Stay warm out there Jill! xT
Great healthy soup in a cold winters nite! I used dried spices, many handfuls of spinach, omitted the broccoli because I didn’t have any on hand (used it all in the cauliflower broccoli soup!), a block (lg ice cube size) of my own frozen pesto, and wild rice instead of the noodles.
I love your recipes T!
Aw thanks so much Tracy! Have a great week! 🙂 xT
This sounds so yummy. Does it freeze well?
Hi Victoria! Yes, you could definitely freeze this recipe! I would maybe just add the noodles separately! xT
We loved this soup. It has a lot of vegetables and I chopped them quite small in my food processor. A good way to get kids to eat more vegetables!
Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT