This is, by far, my favorite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe because it’s simply the perfect mix of easy, wholesome, and satisfying. It’s creamy yet light, and benefits from the addition of potato, thyme, oregano, and convenient pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. If you’re looking for an easy yet incredibly delicious homemade creamy chicken noodle soup recipe, just read some of the reviews below, then try it for yourself!
This is one of those recipes I like to make a big double batch of on a cold, slow weekend in January, and freeze half for future busy weeknights. It’s also a great one to take to a friend or neighbor who’s in need of a comforting homemade meal.
This creamy chicken noodle soup has only about 200 calories per 1 cup. The potato adds heartiness to the soup and, as it cooks, makes the soup even creamier. I’ve made this soup probably close to 100 times since I originally published the recipe in 2015. Trust me, don’t leave that potato out!
Reader Melinda commented: “I made this today and have to say that this is now our favorite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe, too! I followed the recipe exactly as written and hubby loved it. ★★★★★”
Reader DLand commented: “I first made this as a dinner for a new mom and dad. It was so good I couldn’t wait to make it again to keep for my own dinner. Thank you for another wonderful recipe! ★★★★★”
Reader Paula commented: “This soup was delicious, best chicken soup I have eaten. I added Italian seasoning since I did not have oregano or fresh thyme and it was perfect. ★★★★★”
Cozy up with a bowl of this soup, alongside a fresh salad and a warm slice of homemade artisan bread, for a meal that will leave you feeling satisfied, but not weighed down.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Light & Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Lightened up, yet still creamy and so satisfying
- Can be made on the stove or in a slow cooker
- 1-pot meal
- Using a cooked rotisserie chicken saves time
- So much more delicious than store-bought soup
- Make ahead of time and freeze
- Good way to use up leftover chicken
- Flavorful spices, herbs, and vegetables
- Ultimate winter comfort food!
Best Ingredients to Use:
You need 1 big pot and a few staple ingredients. This is a forgiving recipe, so let’s review what can change if needed.
- Butter: Just a Tablespoon, to soften the vegetables.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, and celery form the mirepoix flavor base for this soup.
- Herbs/Flavors: Use a blend of garlic, dried or fresh thyme and oregano, fresh ground pepper, and salt. Feel free to use other herbs you enjoy instead, if desired.
- Flour or Cornstarch: Flour (or cornstarch) thickens the liquid, taking this soup from brothy to creamy. See recipe Note for that substitution.
- Chicken Broth: Or stock.
- Potato: 1 medium potato is the first magical ingredient in this recipe, because it cooks down and makes the soup SO creamy, hearty, and satisfying.
- Chicken: This recipe saves time because you can use pre-cooked chicken. You could also use leftover cooked turkey, like we do in this turkey pot pie! I usually pick up a small rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, shred it, and add it right into the soup. Or you can boil/poach chicken breasts or roast them with a little garlic and thyme, let cool slightly (or refrigerate for a day or two), then shred or chop. If you have leftover chicken, you can also use it in recipes like my chicken quinoa salad or peanut chicken zucchini noodles.
- Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half. If you want to make regular (non-creamy) chicken noodle soup, replace the milk with more chicken broth.
- Noodles: I prefer wide egg noodles in chicken soup, but you can use any type of dry pasta you like, or go noodle-less.
If you can find wide egg noodles, go ahead and use those in today’s soup. If you don’t have egg noodles, any dry pasta you like would work. Keep the noodles small enough to fit on a spoon, so break any large dry pasta before using if needed. A few readers have even used tortellini instead!
How Does the Soup Thicken Up?
Cooking down the onion, carrots, and celery is a key step in the recipe. After you cook them down, add flour and your herbs. The flour will absorb the liquid from the softening vegetables, and create a nice thick base for the soup. This is exactly how we start biscuit vegetable pot pie, too.
Whole milk or half-and-half also thicken up the soup. I’ve even made it with half the amount (1/2 cup or 120ml) heavy cream in a pinch. (Add more chicken broth if you use heavy cream; see recipe Note.)
Nice and thick, without being too heavy.
After the vegetable mixture cooks and you add the flour and seasonings (above), you’ll add the broth and potato. Boil, and then simmer on the stove before adding the milk/half-and-half, chicken, and noodles. Finish cooking. It’s all very simple.
*Slow cooker instructions in the recipe Notes below!*
Can I Skip the Noodles or Use Rice Instead?
Yes. Feel free to skip the noodles entirely with no other changes to the recipe. Or you can use 1 cup of uncooked rice instead. Add it when you would add the noodles.
This Soup Satisfies. Period.
One bowl of this light & creamy chicken noodle soup will leave you feeling satisfied for hours, without feeling weighed down. This is the meal that keeps on giving because if you have a smaller family, there will be plenty of leftover soup to enjoy during the week. Serve in homemade bread bowls or alongside a batch of deliciously soft dinner rolls or brown butter sage dinner rolls.
I calculated the nutrition details using the SparkRecipes calculator app, and a 1-cup serving of this creamy chicken noodle soup, when using whole milk, is only 203 calories, with 20 grams of protein. Creamy, yet light… best soup ever!
Print
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: about 12 cups
- Category: Soup
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This creamy chicken noodle soup is creamy yet light, and benefits from the addition of potato, flavorful thyme and oregano, and convenient pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. You can make it on the stove or slow cooker (see Note for slow cooker instructions).
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (100g) chopped yellow onion (1/2 of a large onion)
- 1 cup (120g) sliced or diced carrots (1–2 large carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
- 1 cup (120g) sliced or diced celery (2–3 stalks)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
- 8 cups (1.92 liters) chicken broth (I recommend reduced sodium)
- 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (around 1 and 1/2 cups or 280g)
- 2 cups (about 250g) shredded or chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup (240ml) half-and-half or whole milk
- 3–4 cups (about 112-150g) uncooked wide egg noodles (or other dry pasta, see note first)
- optional for garnish: fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven (4 quart or larger) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
- Next, add the chicken broth and potato. Give everything a quick stir, then increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the soup to a boil, without stirring, and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and allow to simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes have softened. Taste the soup, and add more seasonings to taste, if desired.
- Add the chicken, half-and-half/milk, and noodles. Cook for 10 minutes until the noodles are tender and the soup has thickened. Once again, taste the soup and add more seasoning as desired. Serve warm.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To reheat, simply pour into a pot over medium heat and cook until warm. Feel free to add more chicken broth to the leftovers if it’s too thick. (Soup thickens in the refrigerator as the noodles and potatoes soak up the liquid.)
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze soup for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before eating, and then reheat on the stove until warm.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Dutch oven
- Slow Cooker Instructions: Prepare the soup through step 1 on the stovetop. Transfer to a slow cooker (affiliate link) and continue with step 2, but do not add the potato yet. Allow to cook for 2 hours on low, then add the potato, chicken, half-and-half/milk, and noodles. Cook on low for 1–2 more hours.
- Flavor Tip: During the last few minutes of cook time, try adding a squeeze of fresh lemon. It’s so good!
- Flour: Instead of 1/4 cup of flour, you can use 2 Tablespoons (16g) cornstarch.
- Herbs: I love this soup with oregano and thyme. Or you can use 1 and 1/2–2 teaspoons pre-made Italian seasoning (found in the spice aisle).
- Broth: I use low sodium chicken broth. If you are using regular broth, start with only 1/4 teaspoon of salt. As the soup finishes up, taste and add more salt if desired.
- Chicken: I recommend using rotisserie chicken, and you can use either white or dark meat. Or you can roast some chicken breasts yourself. Rub with a little minced garlic and dried thyme, roast in the oven under tender, then shred or chop it. You can also boil 2 large chicken breasts until cooked through, then shred/chop and use in this recipe.
- Whole Milk/Half-and-Half: Either works wonderfully in this recipe. Avoid lower-fat milks, and if you need a nondairy milk suggestion, I recommend plain oat milk. Plain almond milk would be the second best option for nondairy. Keep in mind that the soup won’t be as creamy. You could use 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream instead. If using 1/2 cup of heavy cream, add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the recipe.
- Best Noodles to Use: I prefer wide egg noodles in chicken soup, but any homestyle egg noodles work. You can use other dry pasta too, such as elbow macaroni or fettuccine (break up to fit on soup spoon). If using a smaller pasta, reduce amount to 2-3 cups. A few readers have even used tortellini! Or you can use 1 cup of uncooked rice instead. Add it when you would add the noodles.
Keywords: creamy chicken noodle soup
This was fabulous….I had never thought about adding a potato to my chicken soup but glad you did! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Can I add dried parsley?
Absolutely.
How would I do this if I wanted to throw it in the instapot?
Hi Jessica, we haven’t tested this recipe in an Instant Pot, but let us know if you give it a try.
I made this soup for friend who has Crohn’s disease. She was having a tough time and asked if I would make some soup! I have never made soup before – but all of your other recipes always turn out so…
I took some of the pasta out as I found it too pasta heavy but other than that followed the recipe. My friend’s text the next day was “OMG that soup was off the charts! It was so good I had some for breakfast!” Thank you for giving me a recipe site that I can always trust!
★★★★★
I’ve been making chicken soup for 50 years. It was good, but not fantastic. This recipe made the BEST chicken soup I’ve ever had or made! I had just made a batch of stock and had leftovers from 2 birds, so it was the perfect amount for your recipe. I want to make it again soon just so I can freeze some. Thank you!
★★★★★
I have tried 3 of your cookie recipes. I always chill the dough and use room temperature ingredients. They all spread. I also use a silicone baking sheet. Help!
Hi Tamara, is there a specific cookie recipe we can help with? Have you seen our post for 10 tips to prevent cookies from spreading? That will be a good resource to start with. Let us know if we can help troubleshoot further!
My new go-to chicken soup! Made it exactly as written and everyone loved it.
★★★★★
I’ve been making chicken soup for over 50 years, and this recipe was by far the best of any I’ve ever made. It might have helped that I’d just made homemade chicken stock. It was absolutely delicious and I didn’t change a thing. I prefer a soup a little thicker than just broth and this was perfect.
★★★★★
This was really good. I boiled my chicken because that’s what I had on hand and did the advice of heavy cream with extra broth and used narrow Amish egg noodles.
★★★★★
One of the best chicken noodle soup recipes I’ve ever tried! Followed all directions exactly except I made my own chicken broth. Rich and satisfying but not too heavy! This will definitely be added to our dinner rotation.
★★★★★
Absolutely delicious! The creaminess of the soup base and the heartiness of the veggies makes for a wonderful meal on a cold night! This recipe is delicous and I recommend it highly. My step dad said this is the best chicken noodle soup he’s ever eaten! Very easy to make and delightfully hearty!
★★★★★
This is so amazing and has been a regular in my house this winter! I buy the packs of pulled rotisserie chicken from Costco and divvy up in freezer bags. It’s perfect chopped up in this soup. I usually have to add more broth to the leftovers because it really thickens up.
★★★★★
Great recipe. Celery isn’t easily accessible where I live, so may I substitute it or leave it out completely?
Hi Mal, you can omit it or try substituting with another vegetable that you enjoy.
I love it so much!
This is absolutely delicious! I tweaked it a bit to be more diabetic friendly (replaced flour with xanthan gum, used a small potato and no noodles) but added bacon bits and some spinach and OMG, it is creamy and absolutely Delicious. I can see this becoming a family favorite.
★★★★★
First time making chicken noodle soup because I’m not much of a soup fan. Followed the recipe pretty much exactly though I used heavy cream, following the tips kindly provided for that substitution. It is wonderful. Very flavorful. Beautiful directions. Great with saltines. Thank you!
★★★★★
The left overs instructions were not necessary at my house. This was the best chicken soup I’ve ever eaten!!! I only had 4 cups of chicken broth available and i didn’t have oregano. I added more water and put poultry seasoning instead. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will definitely be making it again.
My husband and I made this for dinner – best chicken soup we’d ever had!!
★★★★★
This recipe was simply outstanding. Do not hesitate to make it. You will be very pleased.
If you have any leftover (it’s so good though that’s a big “if”), know that leftovers will absorb much of the liquid in the fridge. But the fabulous part is it will then reheat like a casserole and be just as outstanding. Kind of like a whole new meal the next day. Seriously one of the best recipes I’ve tried in years.
★★★★★
Can I make dumpling instead?
Hi Milissa, we haven’t used this recipe to make chicken and dumplings, but you can certainly give it a try. Let us know if you do!
I was wondering on the milk if a whole milk that is lactose free could be used? I’m anxious to try this recipe but I’m concerned about the milk!
You can buy lactose free whole milk but if you want to use low fat lactose free, that works well too (I use low fat lactose free).
Trina, just an FYI: Lactose free is not ‘dairy free’. Lactose is a sugar present in all cow’s milk, but it can be removed and then it is sold as lactose-free… like Lactaid brand milk. It’s a real blessing for those whose systems cannot tolerate lactose.
I followed this recipe exactly but just threw in a few peas and mushrooms in the end. It is incredibly flavorful. My husband never liked chicken noodle soup until now. Thanks for this amazing recipe!!
★★★★★
This is the absolute BEST chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had! My family and friends love it. The only thing I do differently is to cook the noodles separately and then let people decide how many noodles they want, put them in the bottom of their bowl, and add the soup on top. This also keeps the noodles from becoming mushy if you have leftover soup that you refrigerate or freeze.
★★★★★
This soup is the best. I make a lot of soup during cold winters and chicken noodle is my favorite. As you mentioned it is creamy without being heavy like most cream soups.
I do all of my baking with your recipes and never had a problem. Delicious. Thank you.
★★★★★
I love this recipe so much and can’t wait to make it. We eat alot of chicken noodles and the creaminess really sounds delicious
★★★★★
I was skeptical and this is the first chicken noodle soup I’ve made… it was so yummy! ♥️ definitely adding this one to my rotation! (My husband asked for seconds ) and bonus, the kids loved it!
I cooked the noodles separate. will be making this again 🙂