11 Store-Bought Chicken Noodle Soups, Ranked Worst To Best (According To Reviews)

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When there's a chill in the air (or, if you're like us, and have a little one coming home with a cold every other week), there's nothing to help you feel better like a nourishing, wholesome bowl of chicken noodle soup. While you can make your own — and it's one of the best ways to use up store-bought rotisserie chicken – if you're feeling a bit under the weather yourself, sometimes a simple heat-and-serve option is the best choice.

That's where we come in. If you're in the midst of waving off stuffy noses and blocked sinuses, you want a chicken noodle soup you can rely on. Hearty pieces of chicken, robust pieces of veggies, a savory broth, and noodles that don't veer into mushy territory are a must. Grocery stores are stocked with plenty of options to satisfy your cold-weather cravings, so many that it can be difficult to determine which is worthy of a spot in your cart.

In this ranking, we looked at reviews from major national grocery retailers like Target, Kroger, and Walmart to determine which store-bought chicken noodle soups are worth buying. We focused only on ready-to-serve soups, which means condensed varieties and dry mixes are not included in this ranking. So grab your comfy clothes, cozy up, and read on to see which chicken noodle soup reigns supreme.

The first — and unfortunately, lowest-performing — soup in our ranking comes from the Walmart Deli section. Under the grocery giant's Marketside brand is this attractive container of chicken noodle soup. According to the label, it's free of artificial flavors, certified colors, soy, milk, and preservatives, and contains white meat chicken raised without antibiotics. It's a convenient choice that can be made in the microwave in just a few minutes.

Customers are a bit mixed on the overall quality of this soup, with some saying it's dipped in the past year. Others complain about the high level of sodium — a single serving of this soup (which is the entire container) has 1,440 milligrams. According to the Mayo Clinic, the recommended sodium intake limit for adults is 2,300 milligrams. Overall, the consistency and the quality for Walmart's Marketside Chicken Noodle Soup doesn't seem to be there, at least in the eyes of the reviewers, which is why it's ranked last on our list.

Our next chicken noodle soup flying the coop comes from Walmart again. This time, it's a shelf-stable canned version under the Great Value brand. Great Value offers a range of chicken noodle soups, including a reduced sodium and 98% fat-free version, a condensed version with extra noodles, a condensed homestyle chicken noodle soup, and an organic version. For the purposes of this ranking, we're looking at Great Value's Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup.

All the usual components of chicken noodle soup are here: chicken stock, carrots, chicken meat, noodles, celery, and seasoning, but there are also some unpronounceable ingredients and over 1,700 milligrams of sodium in the entire can. According to customers, this can of soup is, as the kids say, "mid." It's fine considering the budget-friendly price, but some customers complain that there's a distinct lack of chicken in this chicken noodle soup. Overall, it may not be "Great" value, but, "okay value," instead.

Annie's Homegrown is a brand that has built its reputation since 1989 through products like its beloved mac and cheese, graham crackers, and more. On the website, the brand offers plenty of adorable, kid-friendly soups like Organic Creamy Tomato and Bunny Pasta Soup and Vegetable Soup with Farm-Shaped Pasta. The canned pastas are excellent, too.

But we're looking at a soup that doesn't rely on frills. In fact, the simplicity of chicken noodle soup is usually one of its strengths. The ingredients list in Annie's version is pretty clean, with chicken broth, chicken meat, carrots, egg noodles, and celery taking the top spots. Added spices and seasonings make up most of the remaining ingredients, which are all thankfully familiar and easy to pronounce.

Unfortunately, the flavor of this soup doesn't measure up to the quality of the ingredients, if the reviews are anything to go by. On the Annie's website, one customer complained about a lack of chicken, while another claimed that her can was missing the noodles of the chicken noodle soup. Still others on Target's website state that they noticed an odd chemical flavor from the soup, which could be owing to the can itself. However, happy customers also say that Annie's Organic Chicken Noodle Soup is a hit with their kids and family members suffering from sensitive stomachs.

The final store brand to make it on our ranking comes from none other than Target. Similar to Walmart's Marketside (the packaging and size are nearly identical), Target's Good & Gather label is the one behind this refrigerated selection. It's also the very first chicken noodle soup in our ranking to list water as the first ingredient, followed by chicken stock, noodles, carrots, chicken, onion, chicken flavor broth concentrate, and more.

For one container of soup — the designated serving size from this brand — you're nabbing more than your daily recommended value of sodium: a staggering 2,350 milligrams. While canned soup can often be the culprit of tipping those salty scales, you'd basically have to eat bland food the rest of the day after heating up one of these microwaveable containers.

Naturally, one of the primary complaints among reviewers is how salty this Good & Gather Chicken Noodle Soup is. Another issue some customers had is that, for all its marketing as a homestyle soup with plenty of ingredients, it was severely lacking in the chicken department. If you're at Target and craving some soup, go ahead and get this one, but we wouldn't sprinkle crushed saltines on top.

Panera Bread, despite having "bread" in its name, is arguably better known for its soup (which is not made fresh at the store, contrary to popular belief). Fortunately for those who either aren't close enough to a Panera location or simply want to have the soup on hand at all times, the fast-casual restaurant chain offers a variety of take-home soups in grocery stores across the country. In addition to the Chicken Noodle Soup, Panera also provides its famed Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Hearty Beef Chili with Beans, and Mac & Cheese (which isn't a soup, but is one of the best-known dishes from the chain).

Like other soups previously mentioned, the ingredient list for Panera Bread's is pretty similar, although, like Good & Gather, it uses water as its base, with chicken stock coming in distantly down the list. After water is chicken, carrots, noodles, celery, and other flavors, seasonings, and stabilizers.

For such a well-established brand, we expected some glowing reviews. Alas, it was a bit of a mixed bag across multiple retailers. The positive ones enjoyed how fresh this refrigerated soup tasted, with many customers pointing out that there were actual chunks of chicken in the soup rather than the shreds found in others. However, the broth seems to be the biggest disappointment, with negative ratings calling it bland and thin. That's likely due to the use of water as the base, versus a more flavorful chicken stock. For a quick adjustment at home, try adding Parmesan rinds for an extra depth of flavor.

With its sleek glass jar and reputation for bringing its old school Italian pasta sauces to the masses (even Ina Garten is a fan), we had high hopes for Rao's Slow Simmered Chicken Noodle Soup. The brand boasts that its soup is made with high quality ingredients, and one look at the list proves this to be correct. All the usual suspects are here: chicken broth, chicken, carrots, noodles, celery, and onions, as well as various spices and seasonings and even a dash of Parmesan cheese. Rao's does well for itself, with many customers praising the authentic flavors of this cold weather staple. "It gives such an authentic grandmother's chicken noodle soup flavor," writes one reviewer. "I have ordered so many bottles at this point, I am 99% chicken noodle soup myself."

Still, detractors of this traditional style soup claim that it's far too salty to the detriment of any other flavors (a jar contains 1,400 milligrams of sodium). However, this soup earns points for not containing anything artificial and closely mimicking the homemade version, so it's definitely a must-try for us.

Zoup! Eatery may be a slightly lesser known brand among the soup giants on store shelves. It was founded in 1998 as a series of restaurants dedicated to providing comforting dishes made with quality ingredients and loving care. The menu boasts sandwiches, salads, and, of course, soups. In 2014, the company introduced a line of broths to stores and in 2022, the line expanded to include broth concentrates and soups.

Zoup! Chicken Noodle Soup is made with the company's bone broth, which can offer a deeper level of flavor to soup. This particular soup is kettle cooked with said broth, chicken, noodles, carrots, onions, celery, olive oil, and more flavors and seasonings. The brand prides itself on using no preservatives, antibiotics, artificial colors or flavors. Such a clean ingredient list seems to reflect in the flavor, which plenty say is delicious, very savory, and tastes like homemade. Unlike other ready-to-serve soups, customers don't find Zoup! Chicken Noodle Soup is overly salty, and that's reflected in the nutrition — an entire jar has 1,200 milligrams of sodium. That's still over half your daily recommended intake, but far less than comparative brands. So go ahead, add some crushed oyster crackers on top.

A classic if there ever was one, there's probably no one in the country who, at some point in their lives, hasn't spooned up a bowl of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. When it comes to chicken noodle soup, Campbell's has quite the roster. In addition to this version and a Chunky version ranked higher, the soup mainstay also offers variations on condensed chicken noodle soup, Chicken & Stars, Double Noodle, Homestyle, Creamy, Spicy, and more.

For the purposes of this ranking, we stuck with the original, non-condensed version. Unlike other soups on this list, Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup doesn't use thin, twisted egg noodles. Instead, this recipe contains longer, skinny noodles, similar to spaghetti. Ideal for slurping, we can see that nostalgia is alive and well in this soup. Available in a microwaveable bowl, this soup also obviously wins points for convenience. All you need is a spoon (or not; we won't judge). In fact, we think nostalgia is a big part of why customers enjoy this soup so much. While this soup is a sodium bomb, reviewers say it reminds them of childhood and is something they feed their own kids. It may not be full of mix-ins like the Chunky version, but for when you're feeling under the weather, plenty of happy soup-slurpers say it hits the spot.

The second — and final — organic option to make it on our list, Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Noodle Soup fared much better than Annie's did. Of all the soups on our list, Pacific Foods' ingredient list is the simplest. In its entirety, it contains: chicken stock, onions, carrots, chicken, egg noodles, celery, peas, cornstarch, sea salt, garlic, and spices. Plus, all the ingredients (except for sea salt) are organic. As far as canned soups go, this one wins a gold star for the recipe.

Fortunately, the flavor of Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Noodle Soup backs up its glowing ingredient list. Like Zoup!, this Pacific Foods soup isn't considered too salty, and indeed, a look at the nutritional label shows that it has 1,200 milligrams — a far cry from Good & Gather's 2,350 milligrams. One highlight and differentiating factor in this particular chicken noodle soup is the inclusion of peas. As one reviewer put it, "they kind of bring the essence of creamy chicken noodle soup or a pot pie." A little bit more veg in a classic soup? Count us in.

Campbell's makes another appearance, the only brand to appear twice on this list — a natural choice, since the soup giant has plenty of different versions of chicken noodle soup under its banner. In this case, we're looking at Campbell's Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle Soup, a range of soups that seeks to really make the dish a meal thanks to added chunks of the good stuff — including 19 grams of protein per 18.6-ounce can.

Simple, delicious, and per a reviewer, with "a nice amount of ingredients to broth ratio," this Chunky Soup is a winner for many hungry shoppers. Plenty call out its homemade flavor, which is high praise for a humble can rather than a more elegant glass jar. True to its name, there are large chunks of chicken, carrots, and noodles present in this soup, which alleviates a common complaint about not having enough chicken to bear the name "chicken noodle soup." However, the sodium content is decidedly high. While there's a reason canned soup contains so much salt, Campbell's has a single can of its Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup containing 1,690 milligrams of sodium. Considering this is supposed to be the "soup that eats like a meal," we might be able to let this slide just this once.

Finally, we have reached the ultimate chicken soup, at least according to multiple reviewers: Progresso Rich & Hearty Chicken and Homestyle Noodle Soup. If the name is a mouthful, fortunately, so is the soup itself. Like Campbell's Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle Soup, Progresso's version is chock full of big pieces of chicken and veggies. Its "Rich & Hearty" range seems aligned with Campbell's "Chunky" lineup, as the brand also has a variety of soups labelled "Traditional".

"Best chicken soup by far," writes one happy customer on the Kroger website. Still another said that it reminded them of their grandmother's home cooking, which is certainly high praise. Unlike Campbell's, Progresso has slightly less protein — 16.6 grams in a 19-ounce can. However, it also has a touch less sodium, which is something to consider if you're watching your salt intake. Overall, if you're not wanting to make your own chicken noodle soup from scratch, Progresso Rich & Hearty Chicken and Homestyle Noodle Soup is there to answer the call.