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.
LOVED this so much, it was way more delicious than I expected and I was surprised at how creamy it was! Saving this recipe for sure!
This is by far the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had. It is absolutely amazing!
I have made this recipe twice and I just love how it turns out! I am following it pretty much exactly as written and it is truly yummy!
I love this recipe. I used heavy cream because I had it and didn’t have whole milk. And I mashed up the 2 medium potatoes I used.
I made this recipe for my hubby who is in bed with a cold…Absolutely delicious Will definitely be making this again..
How can I figure out the caloric value of this recipe? I’d love to make it but recently I’ve been put on a fairly rigid diet. This would work well but I have to report calories. Thanks – I’ve loved your baked goods for years.
Hi Kathy, 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
So just to be clear we don’t boil the noodles before we put them in? We just let them cook in the mix?
Yes, that is correct; they cook in the soup.
Can I use leftover cooked pasta for this?
Hi Yasmine, yes you can. Stir the pasta in right at the end, just to heat it through. Enjoy!
We love this recipe ! I use German egg noodles, put them in about 30 minutes before you serve the soup! Super good !
Best chicken noodle soup recipe ever! So creamy and delicious.
This recipe is now in our regular rotation. I adapt it to what we have available so sometimes it just has potatoes and chicken, sometimes noodles and chicken. I’m going to try the tortellini suggestion I found at the bottom of the recipe for next time. The soup is simple with loads of flavor. The recipe is easy to follow and it always tastes wonderful.
I’ve made this soup plenty since I found the recipe, and every. single. time. it delivers! Every single time! Can you tell I just made a batch? I make it for lunches and put half in the freezer. Readers, if you’re unsure about whether to try this one, I 200% vouch for it.
Yes yes yes to everything you said. I swear the leftovers taste even better. Love this soup!
This soup is incredible. The method is simple and can be used as a base for other soups. And so easily adaptable to different herbs too. After making it a couple times you get a sense of what you would change to suit your own palate; we make ours with rosemary in addition to slightly increasing the thyme and oregano specified in the recipe. Would highly recommend using roasted garlic too if you dig that kind of flavor. It’s very nice as-is, and we make it regularly in our household. Love it.
My kids SLURPED this up. My husband drank the last bits of broth from the pot. Best soup ever.
This is a tasty soup, but Imwould replace garlic with rosemary.
I really enjoyed this recipe!! This is a keeper! The cream gave it extra flavor.
I’ll be honest and say the recipe is just average. The butter was not enough on the bottom of the pot. I used 3 boxes of chicken broth and it just wasn’t enough.
I won’t use this recipe again. I will recco Sally’s pistachio cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting. Yummo.
This soup was spot on!! Exactly what you would expect a creamy chicken noodle soup to taste like. A lot o flavor. I made it exactly as you posted it. It’s been added to the recipe rotation file.
Made this today and it was delish!! I used orzo pasta as I did not have egg noodles and I also substituted the dairy for coconut milk (as I can’t have dairy). This is definitely going in my recipe box. Thank You for sharing this yummy, easy recipe.
what type of potato do you recommend?
Hi Diane, we typically use a russet potato or yellow potato, but really you could use your favorite.
Great recipe that I will add to my rotation. Loved the flavor and creaminess. Thanks so much!!!!
I just finished making this recipe a second time. It’s fantastic – quick, easy, delicious. I frozen turkey from Thanksgiving and it has been a wonderful use of the turkey. Nice filling, wholesome soup. Just wish it was cooler outside!
Followed this recipe exactly, served it in Sally’s bread bowl recipe. Both were amazing!! Everyone was impressed.
Made this & it turned out perfectly delicious. Made no changes. For noodles I used No Yolks Extra Broad noodles
This is the BEST soup ever – especially if you are a “beginner” cook. My grandmother would say, “You can tell a good cook by the soup they make.” Get ready to accept your TROPHY!! So easy and so good. You will look like the “Rock Star of Soupdom” – I’m sure that is a real thing!! I added a cup of sliced mushrooms for a very classy restaurant look and taste!
BEST soup EVER!!
I’ve made this recipe countless times and just love it! Today I didn’t have egg noodles and was originally going to use rice but decided to try it out with a cup of orzo instead. It’s fantastic! I have never been disappointed by a recipe from this site. Thank you!
I’ve made this soup 3-4 times this month it’s so good. New go-to soup recipe!
I used to make a soup recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction all the time and came back here to find it and this seems to be it except did this recipe used to use fat-free half and half? If so, what is the reason for the change?
Hi Erin, yes, this soup recipe used to call for fat free half-and-half, and you can still use that. I recommend full fat or whole milk, as the consistency is much richer.
This was an instant hit!
Excellent recipe! I cook for my housemates and both of them are very picky eaters and generally have opposing tastes (one will only eat pureed mashed potatoes whereas the other will only eat them chunky, stuff like that), so I’ve been on a years-long quest to find meals that all of us can enjoy together. They both love this soup!! It’s been my go-to for holidays because it’s one of very few dishes we all agree on. The only modification I’ve made is adding half a teaspoon of crushed rosemary. It’s great with rotisserie chicken or with oven baked. The squeeze of lemon at the end really does make a huge difference, I never leave it out. Thanks so much for this one!! 🙂