Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
This creamy chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food. Made from scratch, it’s ready from start to finish in about an hour. It is creamy, filled with vegetables, and finished with a sprinkling of fresh herbs. The perfect soup when you need something cozy to warm you up.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my classic chicken noodle soup and my crockpot chicken vegetable soup recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my soup recipes in one place.
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Best Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
This creamy chicken noodle soup recipe has become one of our cool weather staples. The soup tastes a bit like chicken pot pie filling, which is a bonus in my book.
What you need to know
This simple creamy chicken soup recipe is made on the stovetop in under an hour. It makes use of cooked chicken, whether that is leftover chicken, or a store-bought rotisserie chicken, to cut down on cooking time.
You can use exactly what I have here for a soup loaded with vegetables, or you can swap some of them out for what you have in the fridge or freezer.
This soup can also be made in the slow cooker – directions are at the bottom of the post.
Creamy chicken noodle soup ingredients
- Seasonings – Salt, pepper, bay leaves, and dried thyme season the soup.
- Substitutions: Rosemary would be a great addition or swap for thyme.
- Vegetables and Aromatics– Onion, celery, carrots, garlic, corn, and green beans make the soup flavorful.
- Flour – This is used to help thicken the soup.
- Butter – The vegetables are sautéed in butter before being dusted with flour.
- Chicken – I used leftover cooked chicken that I had in the refrigerator. You can use store-bought rotisserie chicken as well.
- Half and half – To make a creamy chicken noodle soup, we need something creamy. Whole milk is a good swap if you don’t have half and half.
- Noodles – Wide egg noodles are my preference, but any short pasta will work.
- Stock – If you are watching your salt intake, opt for low sodium.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make creamy chicken and noodles. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Sauté – Cook the carrots, celery, onion and garlic, then sprinkle with flour.
- Add – Pour in the stock and stir to combine.
- Cook – Add the chicken, noodles, corn, and green beans. Cook until noodles are tender.
- Add – Finish the soup with half and half, and fresh herbs, if using.
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Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup FAQ’s
If your soup isn’t thick enough after cooking, you can let it simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes or so cook off some of the liquid. Another option is to make a beurre manie: combine 1 tablespoon softened butter with 1 tablespoon flour, then whisk it into the soup until smooth.
You can swap out noodles for diced potatoes or rice to get a starchy component that will help thicken the soup. You could also omit them entirely, and add extra vegetables. *Note: If you use potatoes, they may become grainy if you freeze the soup.
Storage / Freezing Information
To store: Place leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Soups with dairy can be frozen, however, they may separate when re-heating. For best results, heat on the stove over low heat. Heating the soup gently will reduce the risk of it separating.
Variations and substitutions
- Crockpot instructions – To make this creamy chicken soup in a crockpot, prepare the soup as written in steps 1 and 2 on the stovetop, then transfer vegetables to a slow cooker. Add the stock and stir to combine. Cook on low for 1.5 – 2 hours, then add chicken and cook for an additional hour. Test vegetables for doneness, then add half and half or milk, stir to combine, and sprinkle with fresh herbs.
- Vegetables – If you prefer a soup with fewer vegetables, omit the corn and green beans. If you need to stretch the soup to feed more people, add in a couple of Yukon gold potatoes. The starch from the potatoes will also thicken the soup.
- Herbs – Consider adding a teaspoon of dried rosemary in addition to the thyme.
Serving suggestions
Serve this creamy chicken noodle soup with a basket of warm buttermilk biscuits or Parmesan potato biscuits.
Helpful tools and equipment
- A heavy duty pot, like this Dutch oven is the perfect vessel for this soup.
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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter 14g
- 1 heaping cup diced yellow onions 150g / about 1 medium onion
- 1 cup sliced carrots 140g / 4 medium carrots
- 1 cup diced celery 140g / 3 ribs
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 30g
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme or 3 teaspoons fresh
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 – 6 cups chicken stock *see note
- 3 cups cooked chicken diced or shredded
- ½ cup corn 75g / frozen, canned, or fresh
- 1 cup green beans 130g / cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cups uncooked egg noodles
- 1 cup half and half, or whole milk 240mL
- 2 teaspoons fresh dill chopped, optional
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped, optional
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt butter. Then add onion, carrots, and celery. Sweat the vegetables for 5 – 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add garlic and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables. Then add salt, pepper, dried thyme, and bay leaves. Stir to combine, making sure the flour coats the vegetables. Cook for a minute or two.
- Add chicken stock, increase heat to medium high. Give it a good stir, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to release any flour that may have stuck. Reduce heat to medium low, and cover the pot with a lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape. Simmer for 20 – 25 minutes. *Keep on eye on the pot. If it begins to boil, reduce the heat – you want a gentle simmer.
- Remove lid from the pot, and add chicken, corn, green beans, and noodles. Simmer for an additional 8 – 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves.
- Turn off the heat, and add half and half (or milk). Stir to combine, and taste to adjust seasonings, if needed. Garnish with fresh dill and/or fresh parsley if desired, before serving.
Chef’s Notes
- Equipment suggestion: I used a 7 quart Dutch oven for this recipe – you’ll need a large pot (at least 4 quarts). This 6 quart Dutch oven is very versatile.
- To reheat the soup: Heat in a pot on the stovetop over medium low heat until warm. You may need a bit of stock to thin the soup.
- Keep in mind that the noodles will absorb some of the broth, and you will need a splash of stock to loosen it up when reheating.
- For the cooked chicken in the soup, a rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut for this recipe.
- To cook the chicken in the soup, season 2 chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Brown the chicken over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan, and let it cool slightly before dicing to add to the soup. The chicken will finish cooking in the soup.
- If you like a thicker soup, start with 4 cups of chicken stock. If you prefer a soup with a bit more liquid, use 6 cups of stock.
- I prefer extra wide egg noodles for this soup, but any small pasta will do. Ditalini, elbows, orzo, and small shells are all good options.
- If you are out of chicken stock, you can use “Better than Bouillon” mixed with water.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. Use your preferred nutritional calculator using the products and brands you are using for exact information.
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