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Copycat Panera Bread Chicken Noodle Soup

Copycat Panera Bread chicken noodle soup with a clear, golden broth and tender egg noodles. This stovetop recipe simmers diced chicken and vegetables, then cooks the noodles to just al dente.
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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: 420
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 cloves garlic, minced
Chicken broth
  • 8 cup high-quality chicken broth
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Dried 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 and pepper
  • 1 salt and 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 and glossy.
Build the broth
  1. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, thyme, rosemary, and poultry seasoning.
  2. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Keep the surface lightly moving for a clear broth.
Simmer the chicken
  1. Add the diced chicken pieces to the pot. Simmer for 12 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
Cook the noodles
  1. Add the broken egg noodles to the simmering soup. Cook for exactly 6-7 minutes until just al dente and tender but not soft.
Finish and season
  1. Stir in the fresh parsley and turn off the heat. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste for a well-balanced broth.

Notes

For the clearest broth, keep it at a gentle simmer after boiling—avoid a hard rolling boil while the chicken cooks. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is not recommended because egg noodles can turn soft; for a freezer-friendly option, cook noodles separately and combine when reheating. Dietary swap: use gluten-free egg noodles for a gluten-free version.