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. It’s one of the most-made cozy winter dinner recipes on my site.
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
Just the creamy version I was looking for!
Making this made me nervous. I’m always afraid of over seasoning or under seasoning. I’m not a big fan of oregano, so I substituted basil instead. My husband and I have dairy sensitivities so I always substitute butter with non dairy butter, and I substitute milk with Silk soy milk. I’ve never had an issue with doing this. The soup even thickened up nicely the longer it sat. We will definitely make this again!!!
Loved the recipe. We substituted frozen egg noodles.
Best chicken soup I’ve ever tasted! The spice blebd is perfect. I subbed broccoli and cauliflower rice for the noodles for a creamy chicken veggie soup.
Really great recipe! Question- is the soup supposed to be thick once all ingredients are mixed? Mine wasn’t so thick, but more creamy consistency.
Hi Liddy! It should thicken a bit, but not be super thick. Creamy is just right!
Everyone loved this soup. I took some to my mom who has a cold and she raved about it. It is such comfort food with perfect flavors. I will definitely be making it again as the weather begins to cool.
Football Sunday, Tropical storm Ophelia and cool temps = Creamy Chicken Noodle.
OMG this is the best chicken noodle soup ever! I made it as written, only adding more chicken cause that’s what hubby likes lol. Other than that it is absolutely perfect!!! Thank you for a great soup!
Delicious! Will be making it again soon.
This recipe was amazing!! I used kite hill sour cream instead of half and half to make it dairy free but still very creamy!
This is a stellar recipe! The perfect soup to accompany your dinner rolls I made yesterday. One thing I noticed is that my celery didn’t soften very much during cooking, despite the fact that the carrots/potatoes did no problem. It tastes amazing either way and I’m excited to freeze it for a cozy meal once the weather cools down. Thank you!
Could you use raw chicken breasts? If so, how would you recommend cooking?
Hi Emily, you can cook the chicken however you’d like to. You could boil or bake it before making the soup.
Made it exactly as written for my elderly mother who I’m caring for because she broke her foot. She’s a very picky eater and proclaimed it the best soup she’s ever had.
The best chicken noodle soup I have ever had!!!!
Seems like the noodles softened way faster than the potato had chance to and also didn’t thicken. Noodles were like mush after an hour, potato was raw still and the soup hadn’t thickened at all
Hi Courtney, we recommend adding the noodles in Step 3 (during the last 10 minutes) to prevent them from overcooking. The potato is added in the step before so that it has time to cook through. If you wish to try this one again, you can cut the potato into smaller pieces—that will help them to cook through faster. Did you happen to use something other than half-and-half/whole milk? Those are key to the soup’s thick consistency. It will continue to thicken after the cooking time, too. Thank you for giving this one a try!
This soup is fantastic! It fills the house with such inviting smell. This soup if filled with so much flavor, goodness and comfort. My family loved it! A new family favorite. Love soups…this is a must try! Thanks Sally
I made this recipe and it was a hit in the house even for the kids. We now make it at least once a month for dinner. It’s the best ☺️
This soup was the best, my family loved it! Instead of milk I used a can of cream of mushroom and it was delicious.
Question: so if I do it in the slow cooker, add everything up to step 2 into the slow cooker, let that cook for 2 hours, then add remaining ingredients for the last 1 – 2 hours?
Everything except the potato! So add the flour/spices/cooked veggies with chicken broth into the crockpot, cook for 2 hours, then add potato, chicken, half-and-half/milk, and noodles. Cook on low for 1–2 more hours.
Thanks for replying!
My husband says this is the best chicken noodle soup he’s ever had! And he doesn’t like soup.
Only thing I added was some Thai red chilli peppers because we were both sick and needed some spicy to clear it all out haha
I want to make this recipe, but I don’t have a potato. How could I substitute potato flakes?
Hi Jenna! We don’t recommend using potato flakes, you can leave out the potatoes if needed.
I absolutely loved this! I used really ce and it was amazing!
I made this using quick barley instead of noodles and it was great!
Amazing recipe. Absolutely love it! We are dairy free… I used a homemade pine nut cream instead of the half and half. Worked perfectly! Thank you : )
THIS IS A FAB RECIPE.. CAN I EPLACE THE CREAM WITH PLAIN YOGHURT?
Hi Rina, so glad you love the recipe! We haven’t tested it that way, but you could certainly try it out. If you do, please let us know how it turns out!
I did not think I would like this recipe because of some of the spices. I made this a few days ago and I love it. I used roasted turkey instead of chicken and I added extra turkey. Used heavy cream instead of half and half. I also froze this in multiple canning jars, so when I want soup I have individual servings. It is great. Nice and creamy. Thank you.
Can the potato be left out?
Absolutely.
This look amazing, can you use regular pasta like elbow or penne? If so how much?
Hi Kyle, absolutely—same amount!