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Copycat Panera Bread Chicken Noodle Soup

Copycat Panera Bread chicken noodle soup with a clear, well-seasoned golden broth, tender diced chicken, and perfectly cooked egg noodles. This stovetop version keeps the noodles al dente for a café-style texture.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
Carrots
  • 3 carrots, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Celery
  • 3 celery, sliced
Onion
  • 0.5 onion, diced small
Garlic
  • 3 garlic, minced
Chicken broth
  • 8 cup high-quality chicken broth
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Rosemary
  • 0.5 tsp dried rosemary
Poultry seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp poultry seasoning
Egg noodles
  • 8 oz egg noodles, broken into shorter pieces
Fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
Black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until softened with a gentle, lightly fragrant sizzle.
Build the broth
  1. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant and not browned.
  2. Pour in the chicken broth, then add the dried thyme, dried rosemary, and poultry seasoning. Bring to a boil, using steady heat until you see active bubbling across the pot.
Cook the chicken
  1. Add the diced chicken to the boiling broth and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
Cook the noodles and finish
  1. Add the egg noodles and cook for exactly 6-7 minutes until just al dente. Look for tender noodles that still hold their shape when stirred.
  2. Stir in the fresh parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper, and taste to confirm a clear, well-seasoned broth.

Notes

To keep the broth looking clear and the noodles from turning soft, add the egg noodles at the end and cook only until just al dente. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently, adding a splash of broth or water if needed. Freezing is not recommended because egg noodles often get mushy after thawing. Dietary swap: use gluten-free egg noodles and check that the poultry seasoning and seasonings are gluten-free.