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!
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 (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
This was great. Very cozy and warm. The only substitutions I made were using rice instead of pasta as was mentioned in the recipe notes (I didn’t have any other suitable pasta subs for the noodles) and, instead of the thyme and oregano, I swapped in rosemary and basil (needed to use them up anyway). I also threw in some frozen peas just because.
I love the rice version but I’m also looking forward to making this again with actual noodles in the future.
I just made this substituting sallys baked chicken meatball instead of shredded chicken . It is 5 star !! I tossed a salad, used some of the herb butter from meatballs on sourdough slices and its a company worthy meal.The broth is thick and creamy and the flavor is stellar. I am a 65 year old home chefwith an addiction to baking! I don’t have alot of money so when I try new recipes I like to be confident in the authors. Over the years, my young favorite is sally and her team. She actually taught me metric cooking and im a better cook because of her influence. I own all her books and I highly recommend anything SALLY
I should have stated that I made the chicken meatballs mini sized. About 15 grams each.
My favorite Chicken Noodle Soup recipe!
This soup is a family favorite (which is a miracle because my kids don’t agree on anything!)! Followed the recipe exactly and it is delicious. Thank you for the recipe!!
I was looking for a new soup recipe and Sally’s creamy chicken soup did not disappoint. There’s only 2 of us, so plenty of leftovers. Tonight we will enjoy it again with Sally’s Artisan bread.
I plan on making this soup on Sunday for the family of 12.
Should I double the recipe?
Hi Liz! This recipe makes about 12 cups of soup, so how much you make will depend on now large of a serving you think they’ll want. A double batch should be plenty.
This creamy chicken noodle soup is a game changer! I love how light yet satisfying it is. Perfect for a cozy evening. Will definitely make it again!
I would like to make this soup, however I am lactose intolerant. Can I use Lactaid milk and must it be the full fat version? I usually get fat free.
Hi Debi, we haven’t tested this soup with lactose free milk but it should be fine! Let us know what you try.
It works great with unsweetened soymilk.
I used Lactaid lactase free whole milk (the red cap) and it was turned out great!
I love your recipes — just recently got your cookbook, but this soup was a bit disappointing. The only substitution I made was I used canned potatoes (I know, that’s all I had!). The soup didn’t get creamy even after adding almost a 1/4 cup more flour. May thicken up overnight but I like a heartier creamy soup. Any suggestions?
Hi Sally! The starch from fresh potatoes does help thicken the soup. Additionally, did you add the flour with the veggies? When you cook the flour with the veggies, then add the liquids, it creates a roux-like base, which thickens the soup.
My mom always made chicken noodle soup with frozen Reame’s noodles. Have you ever tried them in this recipe?
Hi Linda! We haven’t used them here but we’re sure you could! You may need to adjust the amount of added liquids.
Do you think canned fat free evaporated milk would be a working replacement for the milk?
Hi Ginger! I wish we could help, but we have not tested this recipe with fat-free evaporated milk, so are unsure of the results.
Making this soup second time. FABULOUS! I use my own smoked chicken and favorite spices. Everything else the same. I encourage all to try. I’m 77 and until this recipe made my mother’s cream of chicken noodle soup. I changed!
Best soup ever!
This is the best soup ever!
Just made this and the milk curdled a bit…..suggestion s pleae
Hi Lori, try to let the soup cool a bit before adding the milk next time, or try half and half (or even heavy cream!) which are less likely to split.
This soup was “slap yo mama” good! My entire family devoured it. My husband hates chicken soup but declared this “my new favorite soup!” This one is going into regular rotation. So glad I found this in time for Fall! Thank you, Sally!
I did make this recipe a while ago it was delicious I also made your minestrone and alphabet soup and they were both delicious
The entire family enjoyed this soup, from a toddler, to a teenager. It’s very easy to add or subtract different veggies- I didn’t have a potato, so we added canned corn- and easy to add different noodles- I used pastina! We topped with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon and it was perfect!
You mentioned other pasta shapes to use …I used gnocchi I was concerned that they would add more starchiness to the soup so I added a bit more liquid and it was the perfect consistency.
Delicious. A keeper recipe.
My somewhat picky 12 yr old liked it as well as my foody husband. Thank you Sally!!!!!
Removing a respectful but negative/2-star review is pretty childish and professional.
At least now I know I can remove your website for any future recipe tries. I’ll see where else I can leave review for this brand. Others should know any highly rated recipes here are suspect.
Hi Erin, I see your comment from last night. From the time you left it to this comment today at 1pm eastern, I had not logged in to reply to comments and questions. Your comment was not deleted, I just hadn’t gotten to it yet. I’m sorry you were disappointed. Thank you for the feedback.
Erin, as someone that loves to cook, I can relate to your frustration when a new recipe doesn’t turn out the way I had hoped. That said, personally criticizing Sally is unwarranted, unking, and not useful.
I love that the internet is such a rich resource full of recipes and cooking techniques to try. And it is people like Sally that take the time to contribute to to this network that all of us can enjoy. If anything, I feel Sally should receive our gratitude, even if there is a recipe that isn’t our favorite.
I hope your experiences in cooking improve moving forward, and maybe you consider the good intentions of others if/when something you make in the future doesn’t turn out.
I followed the slow cooker method provided. Unfortunately, the potato was undercooked while the egg noodles are overcooked/disintegrating. Also not as creamy as I’d like (used whole milk.) Overall flavor is rather bland.
Hi Erin!
Put the Potatoes in last. To prevent from sogginess, this way you can taste as it cooks to your liking.
Add the vegatables first with the chicken (you can do the rotisserie and shred it without the skin) and season to your liking.
Add chicken broth (eye measure this…too much is over liquidfied, just right is just enough to simmer and boil the noodles without mush) Add noodles, bit here is the trick…cornstarch will give you a thickness without messing up taste, but put a little in it one by one, so it won’t be too thick..then you will be mad…so stir in a little spoon of cornstarch and it will thicken quickly..so watch carefully..do not walk away from stove, that’s how fast it cooks…you can also mix the liquid whipping cream with the broth, incase the milk doesn’t do it for you…. and season always to your liking…add things off your choice as well…hopes this helps….
Make this all the time! I use a can of whole EVAPORATED milk for the cream!
This is by far the BEST chicken noodle soup!! Followed the instructions exactly how they are written. Will say, be patient when it’s done, it will thicken as it sits.
I’ve made the original soup that had a roux base, I believe, from 2015. Greatest. Soup. Ever. Our family go to for comfort. I’ve lost that recipe, and while this one is still tasty, it is not that one. Is there any way to get a copy of that one, please? My daughter recently got covid again and requested this soup. I made this recipe and while she liked it, she was saddened that it wasn’t the beloved original.
Hi Millie, the recipe method hasn’t changed! In step 1, you are making a roux-type base.
This recipe is a keeper! I’ve been cooking for over 50 years and this is one of those recipes that I use as a base or starter, as I always make recipes my own. I have to say you don’t need to change a thing in this recipe, however, this time I used a can of evaporated milk as I had to use it up and a little whole milk. I had some red/orange peppers I also had to use up this go around, so I added that as well. I have to say great job on this recipe everyone loves it, even guests who show up out of the blue lol Thank You, you are appreciated!!!!
Sally, you have another winner!! I just made this. The potatoes were really the ingredient that made it so silky! My husband, who is very critical of any recipe also loved it. A Keeper for sure!!
It’s really good! A perfect fall soup. Not to heavy that it reminds me of winter and not too light that it reminds me of summer. It’s perfect!
Yes…..have you only received 1 question or message ? I was inquiring as to how many this serves…. Will it fill a 6 quart crockpot for a luncheon ?
Hi Wendy, see recipe Notes for slow cooker instructions. A 6-qt crockpot will work great. Hope the soup is a hit!
Hi! I was wondering if there were any nutrition facts for this soup, it looks so good and I’m interested in making it but wanted to see how much protein/calories per serving. Thanks!
Hi Marina, 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