Does Campbell's always make top-notch chicken noodle soup? Which lesser-known brands managed
to crash the top 5? If you're in the mood for one of the most classic soups around,
keep watching for what to add to your grocery list.
Campbell's may be synonymous with canned chicken noodle soup to a lot of shoppers,
but that doesn't mean that each one of their chicken noodle soup offerings is a winner.
Case in point: Campbell's Condensed Chicken NoodleO's.
This selection was made with children in mind, and it shows. You get fun shapes,
some barely-there carrots and chicken, and not much else. The flavor is bland,
and the fact that the soup is condensed doesn't make it any better. No hungry soup lover wants
to spend all that extra time adding water and then simmering it on the stovetop.
That's especially true when there are plenty of other options available that
you can simply throw in a bowl and toss into the microwave for a few minutes.
Campbell's Organic Chicken & Stars Soup ranks a little bit above the bottom,
as it retains the fun shapes and kid appeal of the Condensed Chicken NoodleO's,
but with a better flavor. Also, it's not condensed if you purchase the boxed version,
and you can actually see the chicken and carrots in the broth. Be aware, though, that there's also
a non-organic Chicken & Stars soup that comes in a can and it's very, very different. For
the benefits we've just described, you'll want to go with the organic version that comes in a box.
This soup also ranks higher than its NoodleO's counterpart thanks to the shape of the noodles.
The stars provide better texture and they're not as slimy. Unfortunately, you'll also find
that eating the full box will account for 50 percent of your daily recommended sodium intake.
Campbell's Healthy Request Chicken Noodle Soup is a relatively new take on the OG chicken noodle.
Designed to be heart-healthy, Campbell's introduced its Healthy Request line in 1991
and has been expanding it ever since. To be considered a Healthy Request soup,
it must contain a maximum of 410 milligrams of sodium per serving,
which allows Campbell's to display the American Heart Association's hearty-healthy logo.
So where does the Healthy Request Chicken Noodle go wrong? Essentially, it packs the
same downsides of the OG chicken noodle soup but now with less flavor. Sure, there's less salt,
but any home cook knows that salt goes a long way in forming a tasty soup. The one thing it
has going for it is that it comes in both cans and a microwavable bowl for easier eating on the go.
Annie's Organic Chicken Noodle Soup stands miles above the lackluster options we've
covered thus far, but that's not saying much. That's because, for all it offers,
it does so at a terrible price point. It features egg noodles, chicken chunks,
carrots, and celery. The broth is infused with herbs and spices like rosemary,
sage, and thyme, and the sodium content is slightly less than the previous soups.
Alas, Annie's soup is much more expensive than some of the other
soups that rank higher on this list and that offer comparable flavors. As of December 2021,
an eight-pack of Annie's Organic Chicken Noodle Soup runs $30.89 on Amazon,
while a 12-pack of Campbell's Well Yes! Chicken Noodle Soup goes for just $23.76 on Amazon.
Progresso's Light Chicken Noodle Soup exhibits the same issue as the Healthy Request Chicken Noodle.
When you start making chicken noodle soup healthy, you tend to lose flavor. Luckily for Progresso,
it makes a valiant effort to redeem itself. It features big, hearty egg noodles,
carrot and celery slices, and chunks of chicken that actually look like real chicken.
And if nutritional content is a concern for you,
you'll be glad to know that this soup packs only 130 calories per can,
compared to the 150 you'll find in a can of the Healthy Request Chicken Noodle. Unfortunately,
if you're watching your heart health, that's a bit of a problem, as a full can of the Progresso
Light Chicken Noodle accounts for more than 60 percent of your daily sodium intake.
Progresso's regular chicken noodle soup ranks slightly above its lighter counterpart,
as it's just a teeny bit better in terms of taste and only slightly less healthy. Sure,
there's a whole extra hundred calories per can, but if your entire lunch is still just
230 calories, you likely won't notice the difference. When you compare the two soups,
they both have the same primary ingredients, but the quantities for some differ.
In the light version, carrots are the second ingredient after the chicken broth.
Whereas in the regular version, the second ingredient is cooked white chicken meat,
indicating that the higher-calorie soup contains more chicken but fewer carrots.
The regular chicken noodle contains 6 grams of fat per can, 50 milligrams of cholesterol, and 15
grams of protein, compared to the light version's 1.5 grams of fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol,
and 11 grams of protein. The traditional soup also contains more iron, but less calcium.
"Progresso makes really good chicken soup."
Campbell's introduced its Chunky line in the 1970s to wild success, and it's easy to see why. The
soups are ready-to-serve rather than condensed, and they're as chunky as advertised, with lots
of heft and weight to both the ingredients and the broth. Plus, they're an easy lunch when you
want something low in calories but still hearty enough to keep you full through the afternoon.
When it comes to the Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle, the ingredients are similar to the
Progresso Chicken Noodle, but there are a few key differences. The broth is thicker,
and extra ingredients like chicken fat, chicken skins, and vegetable broth make
for a flavor reminiscent of a homemade broth that's been simmering on the stove all day.
"Chunky chicken noodle: now tastes even better!"
Of course, you do pay for all that flavor, as this soup includes more fat,
cholesterol, and calories than its Progresso counterpart.
Progresso earns high marks for its Traditional Hearty Chicken & Rotini. The only soup on our
list to include rotini, its unique noodle shape provides textural and visual interest.
Compared to a traditional chicken noodle, this version is lower in both calories and fat.
If you like a soup that really puts the focus on the noodles, then this one's for you.
The noodles aren't slimy, and they're cooked just enough to still retain a bit of bite. And
if you're not terribly keen on celery, this soup pushes that veggie down into the "less
than 2 percent" ingredient list. Instead, it keeps the focus on the chicken, noodles,
and carrots. And on top of that, this soup is also ready-to-eat, no additional water required.
When a soup sports the name and face of a revered chef like Wolfgang Puck, you expect
it to be pretty delicious. Unfortunately, Wolfgang Puck's Organic Free Range Chicken
Noodle doesn't quite live up to its namesake. All things considered, your waistline won't feel
too bad about this option: at 100 calories per can, that's fewer calories than some
of the supposedly "light" options. But your heart may skip a beat at the sodium content,
with nearly 40 percent of the daily sodium intake all wrapped up in this small 14-ounce can.
When it comes to flavors, Wolfgang Puck certainly wins out over those low-calorie soups, though,
as it incorporates herbs and spices like parsley and turmeric. The brand has also
made an interesting choice to use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. Although unfortunately,
the soup's main ingredient isn't stock of any kind, but rather water.
"Water! Water!"
If you find the Campbell's Chunky Classic Chicken Noodle too thin and watery,
then you might want to try their Chunky Creamy Chicken Noodle. Campbell's calls
it the "pinnacle of soul-warming comfort food" and while that might be a stretch,
it's certainly no lie that it's thick and hearty. Think the filling of a chicken pot pie,
just in soup form, but take out the veggies and throw in some egg noodles.
There may be 480 calories per can, as well as 1,720 milligrams of sodium,
but what else would you expect from a soup that has "cream" in its name?
This soup's first two ingredients are chicken stock and real cream, so you can at least rest
assured that you're not just chowing down on some mystery dried-dairy concoction.
Unsurprisingly, Campbell's original condensed chicken noodle soup makes it into our top five.
Sure, if you were ranking soups on pure flavor alone,
you could probably find a tastier option. But we're considering soups from a range of angles,
and this one receives a high grade thanks a great deal to its nostalgia factor.
But even beyond that, this soup deserves praise for its long and storied history.
Created in 1934 and sold for about a dime per can upon introduction,
it shot the Campbell's brand to success nearly a century ago. Today,
Campbell's chicken noodle soup is one of the top 10 most-purchased shelf-stable grocery
items in the United States, with more than 200 million cans sold every year.
"Campbell's soup is good food!"
For a chicken noodle soup with no chicken, Amy's knocks it out of the park,
which is no surprise considering the brand's success in the ready-to-heat-and-eat food world.
At first glance and first taste, you'd never even know there's no chicken in this soup.
Instead, it blends onions, carrots, celery, tofu, pasta, and leeks for a vegan take that
still manages to taste traditional and not too much like other vegetable soups.
In addition to being vegan, this soup is also dairy-free, lactose-free,
tree nut-free, and kosher. The only thing it could potentially improve
upon would be swapping out the wheat noodles for something gluten-free.
In terms of nutrition, though, Amy's doesn't really stand out from the pack,
with 180 calories per can, 6 grams of fat, and nearly 50 percent of the recommended daily sodium.
Campbell's Homestyle Chicken Noodle does everything right that the original
chicken noodle does as well, with its comforting simplicity, brothy base,
and wealth of noodles. But it kicks things up a notch with a better noodle option.
Whereas the OG's noodles can be slightly limp and slimy, the Homestyle version is packed with
shorter, slimmer noodles that retain their texture without falling apart in the broth.
The homestyle version also includes carrots, unlike the original. Nutrition-wise,
the two soups are nearly identical, so why not opt for the soup with the better noodles?
It's worth noting, though, that the homestyle version is similarly condensed,
so you will need to do a little extra work before lunchtime. But if you're already
putting in the effort, the homestyle is still clearly superior to the original.
The Healthy Choice brand's traditional soups really aren't anything to write home about, and
if you want a diet-friendly soup, you're better off with Campbell's or Progresso. But when it
comes to Healthy Choice's Chicken Noodle Soup with Bone Broth, we've got a clear winner on our hands.
Bone broth has been trendy for a few years now, as it's touted for its
health benefits and rich and tasty flavor. Typically, though, it isn't exactly cheap,
and making it yourself at home can be both messy and smelly. So if you can find a canned
chicken noodle soup with a bone broth base that's both budget-friendly and delicious,
you should jump on it. Regarding nutrition, this soup has only 190 calories and 830 milligrams
of sodium per can, which actually places it among this list's less-salty options.
At the top of our list is a chicken noodle soup from the company that knows chicken
noodle soup better than anyone else. Campbell's Well Yes! line launched in
2016 as a series of ready-to-serve soups with simple, nutritious ingredients,
as well as no artificial colors, flavors, ingredients, or modified starches .
Its bone broth-based chicken noodle soup offers extra ingredients and flavors,
like diced tomatoes and white beans, which make it that much more delicious than everything else.
It also includes an admirable amount of minerals, nutrients, and vitamins that
you'd be hard-pressed to find in most other chicken noodle soups, including Vitamin A,
potassium, iron, protein, and fiber. So for a delicious, traditional-yet-modern bowl of
chicken noodle soup, look no further than the Well Yes! Chicken Noodle!
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"
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