We tried chicken noodle soup from 3 fast-food chains and the winner tasted homemade

There's nothing like a warm bowl of soup on a cold fall day. But if you don't have time to make some from scratch, you can always get a quick fix at a fast-food chain.

As part of an ongoing taste-test series, INSIDER tried chicken noodle soup from three different chains. Previously, we've sampled items ranging from hot chocolate and jelly donuts to chili and mac and cheese.

We tried chicken noodle soup from:

Although you'll find Panera Bread and Boston Market throughout the US, we also decided to try Wawa, a popular regional chain with locations on the east coast from New Jersey to Florida. For the sake of consistency, we ordered the smallest portion available at each chain.

Here's how each soup fared.

Wawa had the cheapest option.

It tasted rich, but it had a slightly processed taste. Zoë Miller

At Wawa, a beloved regional chain known for its hoagies, a small chicken noodle soup cost $2.59 before tax ― the cheapest of all three options we sampled.

Filled with thick strips of noodles, chopped carrots and celery, and bite-size chicken pieces, the broth was rich but surprisingly peppery. The chicken itself had a chewy, almost rubbery texture. While not bad, it tasted the most processed, in our opinion.

Panera Bread's soup had a flavorful broth but there wasn't enough chicken.

It was tasty, but it could've used more chicken. Zoë Miller

Along with salads and sandwiches, soups are a highlight of Panera's menu ― so we had high expectations for the chain's take on chicken noodle soup, which cost $3.99 (before tax) for a cup.

Like Wawa's, the soup at Panera featured carrots and celery paired with rectangular pasta strips. The thin broth, more sweet than salty, had a balanced flavor.

Cut in uneven chunks as if it were freshly carved off a whole bird, the chicken was tasty, too. Our only complaint is that the poultry component of the dish was on the skimpy side.

Boston Market's soup was the priciest ― and the most filling.

The soup was packed with pasta and chicken. Zoë Miller

Since Boston Market specializes in family-style meals, we had a feeling that the chain's chicken noodle soup would be delicious with a homemade feel.

Exceeding our expectations, the soup ― which only comes in one size and cost $4.49 before tax ― was brimming with large pieces of pasta (which nearly overflowed from the takeout container), chunks of dark meat chicken so sizable they could be eaten with a knife and fork, and chopped carrots that retained a pleasant amount of crunch.

Some diners might be intimidated by the uneven noodle-to-chicken ratio, but the pasta and the poultry were equally enjoyable. Although the broth was on the salty side, in our opinion, it tasted homemade.

Thanks to its generous portion size and authentic taste, Boston Market's soup was the winner.

It was delicious. Zoë Miller

Despite being the priciest option, Boston Market offered the most generous portion size out of three chains we sampled. Between the abundance of noodles and hearty chicken chunks, Boston Market's authentic-tasting, filling soup was the clear winner in our book.

The complimentary oyster crackers were a nice touch, too.

You can't really go wrong with any of the options though.

It came with chips, which was a nice addition. Zoë Miller

Panera Bread's chicken noodle soup had a flavorful broth, but it was lacking in chicken.

And while Wawa's rendition may not taste the most natural, it's an affordable way to satisfy your soup craving.

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