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. 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 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. If lightened-up comfort food is what you crave, be sure to try my creamy 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
- 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!
PrintCreamy 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 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.
As per other comments!! So amazing!!!! Make time & time again. A family of 7 favorite
FANTASTIC and easy to. LOVED IT!
Can you use cauliflower instead of potato to thicken? Perhaps use immersion blender to do so, before adding chicken/noodles/etc.
You can definitely try that! I haven’t tested it.
I’m feeling like I’m coming down with a cold, so chicken noodle soup sounded really good. I wanted to try something a little different than my family’s recipe. Everyone loved this. I was gonna take a picture, but there isn’t any left. Thank you Sally for another delicious recipe. ( I haven’t had one bad recipe yet between your sweet and savory recipes.
This was amazing! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Wonderful! So glad that I made this, thank you!
I made it with coconut milk and then proceeded to eat 3/4 of the pot. Delicious!!!
Made this soup for supper and it was flavourful and delicious! Thank you!
Made this soup today for dinner during a chilly week in SC. I used a little extra celery, carrot, and onion simply because I like veggies. Used
1 1/2 teas of Italian seasoning and 1/2 teas of pepper. No other seasoning. Used Better than Boullion (Roasted Chicken flavor) for my broth ( made 10 instead of 8 cups), used skimmed milk only, and used No Yolks noodles. It is perfect, delicious, and even lower fat and calories!
Absolutely fabulous! Just made this for dinner tonight. Both my husband and I loved it. Easy to prepare too. Thank you for a great new addition to our soup repertoire.
This is a wonderful change to the chicken soup I usually make. It has a great flavor. I’ll make this again!
Just made this for dinner on a cold night in Florida. We loved this. Everything I’ve made from Sally’s is just about perfect!
Made this today. Have a sick grandaughter and chicken soup is just something we thought she would like. Came out great. Did the recipe exactly as stated and was perfect for me. I did add some chicken bouillon at end to make the flavor a bit stronger because thats how my husband likes it. Thank you Sally!
I made this recipe last night. It is A-MAZ-ING! My husband’s comment after the first bite was, “Boys, your mom is a magician. Ive ate a lot of chicken noodle soup, but I’ve never had chicken noodle soup that tastes this good.” Thanks so much for this great recipe. ❤️
Quick, delicious, and kid approved! This recipe has a lot less fuss than other chicken noodle soups, but tastes just as good. I used a shredded rotisserie chicken and store bought broth. Thanks for the great recipe for a cold night!
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now. It’s my husbands favorite soup. Highly requested as the cold weather comes! My 8 year old finally gave it a try and also loves it! Thank you!
WoWWWW! I just finished making this (including the lemon squeeze grand finale) and I can’t believe how amazing it tastes. I thought I was out of oregano, so I tossed in some tarragon, and then found my oregano so threw that in as well. So delicious!
And thank you for including such detailed instructions and photos, per usual 🙂
We loved this soup! Easy and tastes great!
Well, I’ve been using this recipe for over a year, so I guess I should tell you how much I love it! I recently had back surgery and was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stomach big meals. I was wrong! I feel so much better and it’s only been 2 weeks. BUT, I had made a double batch of this soup! And it was gone in the first week. I’ve already made another double batch, and it’s nearing the end again. Needless to say, I LOVE THIS SOUP!
Just made this soup with leftover turkey and boy oh boy it is YUM! I used whole milk and a touch more salt but otherwise as the recipe stated. Seasonings were great and I’m sure this will be gobbled up quickly! Thanks Sally and Happy 2020!!
Love this soup so much! Perfect recipe!!!
Can this recipe be done in a crockpot? If so, how?
Definitely! See my recipe notes for more on cooking this recipe in a crockpot. Enjoy!
I made this soup for dinner tonight. I followed the recipe as written. Although I used 1/2 milk and 1/2 half and half. It was delicious. This is a keeper.
Legit love this soup. Found it when I was looking for meal prep ideas for post pregnancy and I’ve been obsessed since. Have probably made it 5-6 times in the past two months. Only modification I do is double the thyme. Would highly recommend. Also freezes well.
This is my first time making a chicken noodle soup. It is such a hearty and satisfying soup. Just so lovely during cold evenings.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
What a delicious chicken soup!!! I made this to go with grilled cheese and it was the best. My husband wanted to add just a smudge of sage so we did! Good addition. I will be making this over and over again.
This is the best soup EVER! So much flavor and just the right amount of creaminess. I even cheated and used canned chicken(just because that’s what I had) and it was amazing. I think it would also be great with dumplings. Thank you for sharing!
This soup is delicious! The broth is creamy but not heavy. I made with half and half. I really had to add a lot of broth to balance out the noodles soaking everything up, probably 10 cups of broth total. Use your homemade bone broth, you won’t regret!
I bet this would be great using left over turkey. What do you think?
Absolutely– same amount as the chicken. I would keep the spices/other ingredients the same, too!
Sally this soup was absolutely delicious!! I can’t believe what incredible flavor. I added some fresh chopped rosemary. Amazing!!
Made this soup tonight and I have died and gone to heaven. Amazing!!! So simple too. One thing….I didn’t have any noodles so I added a bit more potatoes which most cook down which I how I prefer. Thank you for posting❤️