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!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added some new photos, a video tutorial, and a few more success tips.
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. And it’s a perfect back to school recipe when schedules get very busy.
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. Trust me, don’t leave that potato out!
One 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. ★★★★★”
Another 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! ★★★★★”
And another 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. If lightened-up comfort food is what you crave, be sure to try my creamy cauliflower potato soup and butternut squash mac and cheese, too!
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
- A reader-favorite from my list of 30 delicious fall dinner recipes
- 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. (I do the same for this BBQ chicken pizza—so easy!) 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, sweet potato dinner rolls, or brown butter sage dinner rolls, or a loaf of crusty artisan bread, ciabatta bread, or asiago-crusted skillet bread.
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!
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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 (spooned & 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 (4-quart or larger, like this Le Creuset Dutch Oven or Lodge Dutch Oven)
- Slow Cooker Instructions: Prepare the soup through step 1 on the stovetop. Transfer to a slow cooker (affiliate link) and add the chicken broth and potato. Allow to cook for 2 hours on low, then add the chicken, half-and-half/milk, and noodles. Cook on low for 1 more hour.
- 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Need nutritional info for creamy chicken noodle soup
Hi Shirl, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
My husband just had dental surgery and I was looking for recipes for chicken soups to make for him and came across this one. So easy to make and super delicious. I used less liquid as I did not add the pasta to it. I cooked some pasta on the side for my daughter and myself to add in ourselves as hubby cannot chew properly. I also used a potato masher and just lightly mashed up the contents of the soup once near the end of cooking to make it a bit thicker and easier for him to eat. Definitely a winner for someone who has just had dental surgery and it unable to eat solid foods
Hi !! This recipe looks absolutely delicious and can’t wait to try it. Can you use sweet potato instead of a white potato to make it creamy ?
Definitely, it will add a different flavor, but will work for sure!
Is there a GF flour that would work well?
Hi Diane, a gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour would be your best bet here. Hope you enjoy the soup!
All all honesty, I didn’t have all the ingredients but despite that, this came beautiful. It’s thick, it’s creamy, and just all round comforting. Thank you for the share!
Can this be canned instead of frozen?
Hi JH, we haven’t tried it, but let us know if you do.
I made this recipe the other day. I love trying different soups. I’m a lazy cook, so I try to find easy hacks. This one I used canned carrots and canned diced potatoes. I didn’t have to cook it as long because the carrots and potatoes were already soft, plus I didn’t have to cut them. It was so good. It even tastes better the next day.
I’ve made this soup now six or 7 times, and it’s divine! Have made it to take others , and they ALL rave about it. I always double all the veggies and garlic, and add a good 3 or 4 cups more broth. I always a big pinch of herb de Provence, too, along with plenty of fresh oregano and thyme. As also suggested, I add close to one half fresh squeezed lemon towards the end of cooking. I think what really makes it sublime, though, is adding a really good vinegar to the soup. I love adding apple balsamic vinegar (Fresh Pressed Olive Oil club vinegars are the best), or apple cider vinegar before serving. It really adds richness and depth. This soup is a staple in my kitchen. Thank you, thank you, Sally and team!
I dont eat chicken or meat, but my family does, so when my aunt caught the flu I offered to make her some chicken soup. I decided to search on your blog in case you had a recipe as everything I have made from here has been wonderful. This soup was no exception. I had so much faith in your recipes that I made it for her without even tasting it, hoping for the best. I made it exactly as written with no modifications. My aunt called me raving about the soup. My uncle declared it one of the best he has ever had. In fact they were so enthusiastic about it I made an entirely new batch for my husband and kids and they too enthusiastically ate it and said how delicious it was. Thank you for the tip on how to thin it later and how to freeze it as well. And most of all thank you for making me seem like a great cook just because I follow your excellent recipes.
Wow that hit the spot!! Under the weather over here and this called my name. Delicious l did use the flat frozen noodles and oh my goodness just yummy!! Thank you again this will be on rotation!
I made this per the recipie, but with 1 slight variation. I used one quart of a “spicy” chicken broth. It was delicious with a nice little kick! Great on a cold and rainy day. So glad we came across this recipe!
I made this per the recipie, but with 1 slight variation. I used one quart of a “spicy” chicken broth. It was delicious with a nice little kick! Great on a cold and rainy day. So glad we came across this recipe!
Make this recipe yesterday for my teenage hockey playing Grandson who loves taking soup for lunch at school. He had it today and gave it a 5 stars. I did use half cream half broth and added fresh cilantro. I figure that if any teenage boy willing to have soup at school in front of his friend eating fast food then I should continue to make.
This was so good it will be go soup from now on and easy
My husband is allergic to carrots of all things! So I always ask, will it make a difference if I omit the carrots? Any other suggestion like increasing celery/onion?
Thank you
Hi Joan, you can omit the carrots.
I forgot the flour already added the broth and potatoes! Can I add the flour still?
Hi Tiffany, at that point you can omit the flour in the soup.
This truly is the best Chicken Noodle Soup recipe! I followed the recipe exactly and my husband loved it! Shared some with friend and she immediately wanted the recipe.
Love this recipe so much! It’s my go-to winter meal!
OMG!! This is really so amazingly delicious and easy to make. Thanks for this recipe. I know I will make it many times. I think the herbs really make it special.
Can you please provide the nutritional info for this soup? Thanks!!
Hi Nina, see last paragraph right before the written recipe. Or, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
As promised, this recipe was fabulous. A caterer was over for lunch today, and she asked for seconds.
I used Israeli Couscous (bigger pieces than regular couscous) to sub for noodles. It worked beautifully,
Thank you for posting this recipe! I want to add that it makes about six main dish servings; divided into 12, the servings are small.
I just made this delicious soup for the third time this winter. I follow the recipe exactly. I always cook my own chicken breast. My family keeps asking for it! The perfect creamy chicken soup.
Loved this soup!!! Perfect warm up on a cold (-35C in Canada) day!! I always appreciate the explanations and step by step tips/tricks. Thank you Sally and team! More soup recipes please!!:)
Can I make this as regular chicken noodle soup without making it creamy? How much more chicken broth would I need if I omit the milk/cream?
Hi Terri, yes, you can skip the half-and-half/milk. You can just skip it or substitute with 1 more cup broth (and add it when you add the other broth).
The Best chicken soup I ever made! The house smelled so yummy and the soup was the Best
Have you worked out the sodium and sugars amount for this recipe. Looking for a recipe diabetic with heart issues
Hi Gwynneth, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Delicious chicken soup! I loved the flavor as the recipe is written. Made me feel better as I was getting over my cold!
Such an easy, delicious soup! It’s so flavorful and hearty that’s it’s a complete meal. Although we eat big bowls of it, not 1/12 like the nutritional info suggests. A family favorite!
Made this receipe tonight! Rotisseried my little chicken here at home after letting it marinade in the fridge overnight, added a few more shakes of seasonings, some cayenne pepper/peppers flakes and girl, yes! thank you. We are in (-0°’s) and this perfect for tonight. I did take a bit longer than 40 mins but I am slower and used lasagna noodles.
I found this a little bland, but it may have been my supermarket rotisserie chicken to blame. I’m going to try it again and add some mushrooms to the mirepoix and increase the garlic. I had high hopes for this one, and am a little disappointed.
I made this exactly like the recipe and it was very delicious!! I will definitely make this wonderful soup again!
Excellent recipe! Flavorful and perfect for a cold winter day!
Loved this recipe! Was fairly quick and easy to make, and turned out wonderfully Perfect for a cold Winter evening – very warming ☺️