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 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. (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 or brown butter sage dinner rolls, or a loaf of crusty artisan 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!
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.
This soup sets the standard for all other chicken noodle soups!! It’s perfect in every way. Be sure to buy an extra carton of chicken broth for reheating since the noodles continue to soak up the liquid.
I really enjoy your recipes, and this one was definitely a great staple, but I can’t get out of my head, it reminds me of clam chowder. Maybe its the potato….think next time I will skip it. Or use this base for my next chowder!
I made this for the first time today, to the letter of the recipe. I don’t know if I’ve ever tasted a better soup than this! The seasoning and flavor was absolutely SPOT ON. So tasty, so savory, just delicious! One tip I will give, I’m a big fan of using homemade stock from chickens or turkeys (or vegetable trimmings and leftovers for that matter) we cook at home. You can make this with packaged broth or stock, but I believe making homemade stock makes a big difference. I used stock that we made and froze from our Christmas turkey, and it was just so rich, dark and wonderful. This recipe is great regardless, but do yourself a favor and try homemade stock instead of canned or packaged broth. I think you will love the difference. I will make this many, many times going forward.
INCREDIBLE soup! the only change i made was cooking the noodles separately in chicken broth, because i feel like they soak up too much moisture when the soup is kept for leftovers, so i store the soup and noodles in separate containers. this is a 15/10 and i will be making this forever.
A very nice recipe that will become my go to winter chicken soup. I made my own broth by simmering a left over roast chicken with spices and raw vegtables in water and remaining liquid used for the broth, and picked the bones for the chicken. Other then that I left everything as is. Turned out great, nice taste, very healthy, and easy to make. It also froze very well for another time. TThanks Sally for another great meal keep up the good work.
Hi Sally + team
I will be making my own chicken broth and I wondered if I could use the chicken from there for the soup?
Thank you
Hi AA, in general, the chicken used to make broth can be reused, but it loses much of it’s taste during the broth-making process. Hope you enjoy the soup!
Delicious! My husband loved it – and even though I used 1% milk, it was still super creamy. I appreciate such a low cal delicious recipe especially on a rainy Saturday.
I absolutely loved this recipe! My boyfriend said it is one of the best soups he’s ever had.
only have 1% milk what could i use with it to make it more like whole milk
Hi Gail, the soup will be less creamy, but you can use lower fat milk in a pinch.
How do you keep the noodles from absorbing all the liquid? I fixed other chicken noodle soups and had this issue. I made my own noodles, but had the issue with bought as well. I tried many of your other recipes and they are always wonderful. I just don’t want to be disappointed if the noodles soak up the liquid. I look forward to your response and trying this recipe.
Hi Georgianne, the noodles will soak up some of the liquid over time. You can always make the noodles separately, then add to each bowl of soup individually. Hope you enjoy it!
Favorite chicken soup recipe ever!!! Husband and I are personal trainers so we wanted it to be higher in protein – I did about 1 pound shredded chicken, reduced the noodles to 1 cup dry pasta, did 12 ounces of chicken broth since it’s a lot more meat than called for, and added 1 cup canned corn in cream. Those are the only changes I made and it was sooo good. Highly recommend this recipe!
No words….Hah! Not by a mile :). Sally, you’ve made two guys amazingly happy with their rainy night dinner. I am late to the Sally’s Baking Addiction party, and honestly never knew that savory recipes were part of the package. And just as a classically trained ballet dancer who can move on to any dance style they choose, you use weights/science just as in your baking. Because of that, the recipe could not be easier to prepare. Followed it exactly, other than having twice the amount of chicken left from a Rotisserie Chicken cook. I used it all. Anyway, huge thanks for this contribution. It’s actually “Company worthy” in my book!
I fixed this creamy chicken noodle soup with bread bowls… Delicious! My family was very impressed!
Absolutely delicious!! Everybody loved this very tasty soup!
Another wonderful recipe. I didn’t change a thing and it was perfect!
It was good, but too much dried thyme and oregano. It dominated the soup. The proportions were perfect.
My husband and I love this soup. We are having a movie night with friends and serving this soup with cheese biscuits
Hi Sally. This looks amazing. Without the addition of noodles, this seems like it would be perfect filling for a chicken pot pie (with a bit of cornstarch added to thicken it a bit. Any thoughts?
Hi Laura, we haven’t tested it, but here is our chicken pot pie recipe if you’re interested!
Hello. This was delicious!!
I had left over so I added a little bit more tyme and cornstarch and made Pot Pies with a pie crust on the bottom and puff pastry on top. Made in the Breville Mini Pie Maker
Turned out perfect
Made this tonight since it’s in the 50’s here in FL lol. It was amazing. I followed it to the T and made it in the instant pot but as a slow cooker following your “notes” Thank you for sharing your recipe. My whole family loved it including the kids ages 2 and 12. Oh one thing I did do different, I used broccoli since I didn’t have celery and I placed it in the cooker the entire time unlike the potatoes. Definitely a keeper!
Really good. Just what I was looking for to help me through a head cold.
This was delicious! My husband loved it and requested I save this recipe. I was panicked when it didn’t thicken right away but once the noodles were done it was perfect. Love that you had a video of the recipe step by step.
I made this creamy chicken soup last night it was delicious. My grandson who can be picky really liked it. Will definitely be something I continue to make.
Oh. My. Stars! This is the absolute best recipe I have tried. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter, making substitutions based on what I have available. I substituted a parsnip for the potato, and used my homemade chicken stock. I will definitely make this again.
This was excellent. You can easily make this a creamy vegetable soup without the chicken. I used a flavorful vegetable broth and added the chicken to my husbands portion. Also, I added about half cup of Parmesan. It was crazy good!
I made this soup last week and it was so good, I’m making it again today!
One of my favorites!! I added 8 ouncesxofcmushrooms so I ended up adding more broth the next day when it thickened, total 12 cups of broth…perfection. I have made twice on a month, recovering from surgery, so yummy and full of healthy veggies and protein
I know celery is a staple but I don’t have any… is there something I can replace it with?
Hi Brianna, you can leave it out if needed, or add more carrots/onions in its place.
Is it possible to use fresh pasta and add it to the soup later than the dry noodles? I’m trying to make this keto by using keto pasta flour to make the noodles. Thank you!
Hi Lorinda, absolutely!
This was so easy and SO good!
How many grams of fat and saturated fat are there in a serving. I am looking for low fat recipes.
Thank you
Hi Celia, 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
This is the recipe I make with leftover chicken from the night before. This is my second time making it and it has been amazing my husband and son love it so much! The second time I didn’t have a potato and it was just as good. Also instead of oregano, I use Italian seasoning.
My husband could hardly wait for this to get done. I used my slow cooker and the whole house had a lovely inviting scent! And the. Dinner oh my