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
- 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 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!
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.
Hey Sally,
I made this two days ago, and it disappeared in a little over 24 hours! My husband is not a huge soup lover like I am, but he said this is better than my homemade chicken pot pie (which is an all-time favorite of his). I am headed to the store for more ingredients to make another batch today! Thank you, so very much, for bringing such inspiring and delicious recipes to our lives. Since I’ve been following your blog over the last several years, my confidence and skills in the kitchen have increased, and I’m grateful for it (and I think my family is too!). My best to you.
Merrily
Just wanted to tell you how much I love this soup! I have a standing “Soup Sunday” routine- I love spending Sunday night relaxing in the kitchen with a pot of soup on the stove, and I love having lunches ready for work all week even more! This soup is one of my favorites in the rotation! Comforting, creamy, and easy to make! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This is absolutely delish!!!!! I made it just as written except I left out the potatoes and wish I had doubled it!! My family gobbled it up. This will be going in my regular rotation. Thank you for a great recipe!
I had never heard of making chicken noodle soup “creamy” until my husband, who is sick right now, requested it. I’ll try anything to get some veggies in him, so I’m making it right now and OH MY GOSH. I am subscribing to your blog based on just this recipe. The smells in my kitchen are incredible!
What an amazing recipe! I followed your instructions exactly, and my whole family loved it! Between my husband, both of my children and myself, we only had enough leftover for one more bowl, lol! My son told me I could stop buying him his Campbell’s Mario Brothers chicken noodle soup now, because he likes this one so much better! Thanks so much for sharing, I know I will make this often!
I made this soup for dinner last night. It is seriously the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had. (I did make one small modification; I left out the potato.) I think the oregano and thyme made all the difference. My husband posted a picture of the finished soup on Facebook, and I’ve had several requests for the recipe and more than 70 likes so far. Thank you for sharing such an awesome, easy, tasty recipe.
I had most ingredients on hand to make soup this afternoon and found your recipe when I did a quick Google search. It was the perfect compromise between “regular” chicken noodle soup” and the pretty unhealthy creamy version. In case anyone else wonders, I make it without the potatoes (family preference to cut down on starch) and used only 6 cups of chicken stock and it turned out wonderfully! I also added a 1/2 bag of frozen peas at the end to up the vegetables for my kiddos. Great recipe1
I’m not a big soup maker, but this looked so good I had to try. It was delicious and really easy! Even my kids and husband loved it (and they are picky and he’s more of a hearty meal eater). I will definitely be adding this to my regular rotation, thanks!
This was the best chicken noodle soup ever!! My husband and four children devoured it! I will definitely have to double the recipe next time! Awesome job 🙂
Made this yesterday and it is fantastic! This recipe checks all the boxes, it’s easy to throw together, it’s healthy, and its filling and delicious!
My only variations were to cut back on the oregano & thyme, I think I only did 1/2 tsp of oregano and a 1/4 tsp of thyme, but I personally really like thyme to be very subtle. But then I added a bit extra ground pepper towards the end. I also used chicken breast (boiled in chicken broth and shred) as opposed to a rotisserie chicken, about one large chicken breast was perfect. I also included the squeeze of lemon and I feel it was a game changer and I highly recommend. Thanks again Sally!
I made this over the weekend and it was amazing!! My boyfriend declared it the best soup ever. I used whole milk instead of the half and half and it was still very creamy. Thanks Sally, I will certainly be making this again!
I tried this soup and it was delicious! Thank you for this wonderful recipe 🙂
I made this over the past weekend and it was freaking delicious!! I didn’t have the potato or oregano, but everything else I had. It was so yummy my 2 daughters kept asking for more all night long! And it’s always so hard for my 4 year old to eat veggies, but she kept asking for more carrots! Fantastic recipe!
I just made this soup, and it is SO delicious! I used Ronzoni Smart Taste wide noodles instead of egg noodles, (which I do love, BTW) to sneak a little more fiber into the recipe. I may use egg noodles next time, though. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Instead of using flour, I use “Wondra” which comes in a blue canister. It is a very fine textured flour that blends really well. I use it when I make cheese sauce for homemade macaroni and cheese.
Made this soup over the weekend for myself and my husband. A little time consuming with all the peeling and stuff but totally worth it!! He said it was the BEST soup he’s ever had- so much so that he had three bowls!! (little piggy). Such a great find- thanks for the great recipe!
I am a chicken soup snob. The “low fat creamy” in the title really caught my eye so I just had to make it. I made it last night and it is by far the best soup I’ve ever made. I just heated some up for dinner tonight, and will definitely make this again. Also, yesterday I made your Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies and they’re soft and addictive. Without you, we all would have starved last night!! Keep the recipes coming.
This is the best soup I’ve ever had – made by me or in a restaurant. Amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
This is the first savory recipe from your site that I have tried and it was absolutely fantastic, definitely the most flavorful chicken noodle soup I have tasted. I have tried so many of your recipes (granola, muffins, fudge, pies, bars) and have always loved the results. Thanks for all of the great recipes!
My children adore your baking recipes and just asked me if you have recipes for meals. I found and made this and the entire family, four kids included, loved it. Thank you!!
Just made this soup and I’m on my second bowl! It certainly doesn’t taste like a “light” version- so good! I will definitely make this again and again, maybe double it next time so I have more leftovers. The only things I’ll change next time is add a bit more chicken broth and decrease the amount of thyme. The thyme adds great flavor, but was just a little too strong for my taste. Recommend to all! Great job again Sally! 🙂
Oh my gosh, I made this today and it is so delicious! Love your healthy, and unhealthy recipes 🙂
Your soup was amazing! We loved every bite. So wonderful to have a healthy and low-cal dinner taste SO wonderful. Thanks for all your hard work to perfect it!
Followed the recipe exactly… Perfect! Just finished a bowl. The whole family loved it!
Just made this soup. It is absolutely delicious!!!! You all will love it. Comfort food at its best. Thank you Sally for sharing all your wonderful recipes!
Made this last night and my husband said it was the best soup he’s ever had!!! Thank you for the recipe it was seriously good!
i’m not sure if it would since it is not as creamy/thick but do you think unsweetened original almond milk would work in place of the half and half? can’t have dairy 🙁
otherwise i’ll use your suggestion of just adding another cup of broth!
This looks amazing! If I omitted the half and half completely, would it just be a more traditional chicken noodle soup? My son isn’t a huge fan of creamy soups. 🙁
Yep! Add another cup of broth in its place.
What size is the dutch oven you used for this recipe? I need one! And I love creamy chicken noodle soup too – it’s my preference over the regular.
Hi Wendy! Mine is 5.5 quart. Use anything larger than a 4 quart.
Just made this today…it is fantastic and so easy! Perfect since its -5 here in Chicago…thanks Sally!!
What perfect timing, Sally! After reading all the comments, I figure you had to have checked everyone’s weather forecast before deciding to post this for today. 🙂 I just finished a bowl… warmed to the core, finally, for the first time today! Many thanks for yet another scrumptious recipe!