5 Restaurant Chains With the Best Chicken Noodle Soup, According to Diners
The best chicken noodle soup is made from scratch in your kitchen, with a bone-rich broth simmered for several hours, along with a medley of veggies, chicken, and herbs. However, if you are craving a bowl of the comforting soup, you can also order it at a restaurant or even at a drive-through fast-food joint near you. Not all chicken noodle soups are diner-approved and delicious. Where can you get the best options? Here are 5 restaurant chains with the best chicken noodle soup, according to diners.
Panera Bread
Panera Bread’s chicken noodle soup has been on the chain’s menu for decades and is one of the most popular items, with tender pieces of white-meat chicken simmered in a rich, perfectly seasoned homestyle chicken bone broth with curly egg noodles, sliced carrots, celery, and herbs. “I tried Panera Breads chicken noodle soup for the first time recently and I was blown away. Hands down the best chicken noodle soup I have ever had. The broth is so intensely flavorful, much more so than any simple broth I have made,” a Redditor says.
Tim Hortons
Lots of diners swear by Tim Hortons chicken noodle soup, with slow-cooked chicken breast, diced vegetables, and slurpy noodles in a savory broth “Their chicken noodle literally tastes homemade , it’s so comforting and yummy,” a Redditor says.
Café Zupas
Our ETNT reviewer, Megan Hageman, is a fan of Café Zupas chicken noodle soup. The chain has about 80 locations across eight states, has a “good-for-the-soul” chicken noodle soup consisting of grilled chicken, carrots, celery, onions, herbs, and spices in a light broth and served over rotini noodles. “Soup with a side of health benefits. I felt like I was getting something truly nourishing out of this cup and the chicken made all the difference. Clearly available in a generous portion, it really did have a fresh-off-the-grill zip and juicy texture,” she writes. “It helps that the meat is also backed up by veggies galore and tender spiral noodles–there are in fact a handful hiding underneath the rest. Plus, everything is enriched with an Italian-style seasoning blend led by oregano.”
Chick-fil-A
My daughter’s go-to chicken noodle is at Chick-fil-A. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s definitely one of (if not the) best fast food chicken noodle soups I’ve had,” a Redditor declares. “It actually had some flavor and didn’t just taste like straight watery bleh like most fast food chicken noodle soup does.” Another calls it “One of the best!”
Noodles & Co.
Hageman is also a fan of Noodles & Co.’s signature soup, which is made with chicken breast, celery, carrots, onion, and wavy egg noodles. “A deeply rich–and slightly buttery–flavor takes over the entire cup, drawing you in with its homemade style,” she describes the concoction. “A balance is achieved between the dense pasta–boiled just past al dente–and the cooked-down vegetables. I also took note of the sweet yet savory onions that finally make an impact here–it’s about time! The final element, the poultry, was also well-received. The chain reveals that it uses chicken breast in its soup. However, its juiciness and profuse flavor had me second guessing if it was chicken thighs instead. Perhaps it was simply prepared to a tee and took on extra savoriness from the briny broth. But whatever the case may be, it adds to the overall experience in a delightful way.”