This creamy chicken noodle soup recipe is a delicious twist on the classic! Tender pieces of chicken simmer in a velvety sauce with sauteed vegetables and herbs. It’s the ultimate bowl of comfort food.
Recipe Science
- A roux using flour and butter thickens the soup. The starches in the flour will swell as they cook, increasing the soup’s viscosity.
- To enhance the soup’s silky texture and creamy richness, use heavy whipping cream with at least 36% milk fat.
- Cook the chicken and noodles in plenty of stock. The pasta absorbs much of the liquid and yields a more flavorful soup.
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Why It Works
I always make a batch of homemade chicken noodle soup on chilly days or when I want to meal prep. However, if you’re craving something creamy, you’ll love this version. I use the same aromatic vegetables and herbs as my classic recipe but transform the stock into a silky liquid.
Add flour, butter, and heavy cream to thicken the soup base. It yields a super rich and velvety consistency that clings to the tender pieces of meat and pasta. Serve with crunchy crackers, slices of crust bread, biscuits, or a crisp salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken: For a quick cooking protein, use boneless skinless breast or chicken thighs. However, you can use bone-in poultry to add extra flavor and richness from the bones to the chicken stock. Use 1 pound of boneless meat or two pounds of bone-in pieces.
- Cooking Fat: The chicken is seared in hot olive oil to create a golden crust. The vegetables are sauteed in butter for richness.
- Vegetables: To enhance the savory taste, use a classic mirepoix of diced onions, carrots, and celery. Minced garlic adds a deep allium flavor that mellows in sulfur notes when sauteed.
- Herbs and Seasoning: I add fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme to create enticing aromas. Half the amount of dried herbs work, too! I also use a few bay leaves to give the mixture a slight eucalyptus flavor for dimension as it simmers in the stock.
- Flour: Add flour to thicken the soup. The starches in the flour will swell as they cook, making the stock more viscous.
- Liquid: I use unsalted chicken broth or stock to control the amount of sodium. You’ll need at least eight quarts of liquid to simmer the chicken and cook the egg noodles.
- Cream: To finish the soup, use heavy whipping cream containing at least 36% milk fat. This dairy product enhances the silky texture.
- Noodles: Wide egg noodles are the classic pasta used for the soup. They have a large surface area and cook quickly while soaking up the flavorful liquid.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This creamy chicken noodle soup recipe is easy to customize! Try these tasty suggestions:
- Chicken Options: If adding bone-in chicken, cook it for about 5 to 10 additional minutes. For convenience, if you already have leftover roasted chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken, add it to the soup instead of cooking from scratch. Add two cups of shredded chicken at the end of cooking to warm.
- Pasta: Other types of pasta can be used, like ditalini, orzo, fusilli, or rotini. I recommend not using wide or long pasta like fettuccini or pappardelle, as they can be overpowering and make it hard to scoop.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Use a cornstarch slurry or cassava flour. Cassava can be substituted 1:1 for flour without changing the cooking method, but it will have a slightly nutty taste. Use gluten-free pasta.
- Using Other Dairy: You can use whole milk or half-and-half, but the soup will have a less rich consistency.
- Make it Dairy-Free: Use olive oil instead of butter and cashew milk, coconut milk, or almond milk instead of cream. The consistency will be thinner.
- Adding More Veggies: Diced potatoes make it a heartier dish. Try sliced mushrooms, diced zucchini, bell peppers, green beans, or peas.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Step 1: Season the Chicken
I like to keep the seasoning simple by applying salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken breast. Try additional seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, or sweet or smoked paprika.
Step 2: Sear the Meat
I use a large Dutch oven or enameled cast iron deep saute pan to cook the soup in one pot. Use a pan that can hold at least 4 ¼ quarts. Instead of adding the chicken breasts straight to the stock, briefly sear over medium heat for a few minutes on each side to add more flavor to the soup. In just a few minutes, a light golden brown crust will form on the surface.
Tips for Perfect Execution: Some fat will remain in the pan from the released juices and proteins, deepening the savory taste of the soup. The meat will finish cooking when simmered in the cooking liquid.
Step 3: Saute the Vegetables
Sauteeing the vegetables in butter helps to lightly brown the surface and coax out the ingredients’ naturally sweet flavor. Briefly cook the minced garlic, rosemary, and thyme in the hot for to release their fat-soluble flavors. To season the vegetables further, I add salt and pepper before adding the chicken stock.
Step 4: Add the Flour
Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients, then stir until you see no more white powdery areas. Fat is already in the pan from the olive oil and butter used to cook the meat and vegetables. Cook the mixture for a few minutes to remove the raw taste of the wheat.
Ingredient Chemistry: This process forms a roux paste. The fat adds richness to the soup and coats the starches in the flour, preventing clumping when cooked.
Step 5: Simmer the Soup
Bring the stock to a boil, add the seared breasts and bay leaves, cover, and reduce it to a low simmer. This will quickly poach the chicken in about 10 minutes. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 160ºF (71ºC).
Expert Tip: The amount of stock may seem like a lot at first, but the pasta will absorb a large amount of the liquid. I always have extra available to adjust the soup consistency at the end of cooking.
Step 6: Shred the Chicken
Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces before adding it back to the soup. This recipe is great for leftover chicken, too!
Step 7: Cook the Noodles
After removing the chicken, add the pasta to the flavorful stock. It only takes about six minutes to cook.
Add the heavy whipping cream with the heat turned off to prevent curdling.
I prefer to use wide egg noodles for this creamy chicken soup. They have a very delicate and tender bite that complements the ingredients.
Quick Substitution: If you don’t want the soup as rich, you can use whole milk or half-and-half.
Step 8: Add the Chicken
Stir in the shredded chicken. The soup will be thick, but you can add more chicken stock, water, or milk as needed. Be sure to heat the soup gently, so it’s hot when you serve, and adjust the seasoning level.
Step 9: To Serve
I love to garnish my creamy chicken noodle soup with freshly chopped parsley or basil. It adds a burst of fresh flavor and a beautiful pop of color to the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
A thickening agent like flour and butter to make a roux thickens the soup. A cornstarch slurry can be added at the end of cooking for a gluten-free alternative. Use whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy whipping cream to add creaminess.
Use seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, or minced garlic. Fresh or dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, bay leaf, marjoram, or sage. Add white wine or sherry for more depth. To enhance the umami taste, use soy sauce. For a slight tanginess, squeeze in fresh lemon juice.
Try using diced Russet potatoes to thicken the soup if using russets. Use waxy potatoes like Yukon golden to hold their shape. Butternut squash, zucchini, sliced mushrooms, pieces of green beans, or peas are delicious additions.
Follow my recipe for making crock-pot chicken noodle soup, and combine the cream with ¼ cup cornstarch instead of flour. Cover and cook on high until thickened, 15 to 30 minutes. It’s easy to adapt the recipe in an Instant Pot chicken noodle soup using the saute setting. Use bone-in chicken thighs instead.
Cornstarch can be used instead of flour. It has twice the thickening power as wheat, so you only need half the amount. Make a slurry combining the cornstarch with double the amount of water. Add it right after cooking the noodles, stirring until thickened. It will give a glossier finish to the soup.
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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups yellow onion, ½" dice
- 1 cup celery, ¼" slices
- 2 cups carrots, peeled, ¼" slices
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 11 cups unsalted chicken stock, or broth, divided
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles, 4 cups
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Season the Chicken – Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Sear the Meat – Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken and cook until the surface lightly browns, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer to a clean plate.
- Saute the Vegetables – Melt the butter in the pan and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, stir and cook until softened and lightly brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery, and cook for 3 minutes. Add carrots, and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary to the pan, stir, and cook for 30 seconds. Add 1 ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper, and stir to combine.
- Add the Flour – Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the 8 cups of chicken stock to remove any lumps of flour.
- Simmer the Soup – Add the chicken and bay leaves to the pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF (71ºC), about 10 to 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and transfer the chicken to a cutting board.
- Shred the Chicken – Shred the chicken into small pieces using two forks.
- Cook the Noodles – Turn the heat to medium-high. Once the stock is at a rapid simmer, add the pasta. Stir and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the heavy cream.
- Add the Chicken – Add the shredded chicken to the soup. For a thinner soup, add the remaining chicken stock, ½ cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Heat over medium heat until hot. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- To Serve – Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: About 12 cups
- Serving Size: 1 cup chicken noodle soup
- Using Bone-in Chicken Breast or Thighs: Use 2 pounds of meat. The chicken may need more time to simmer to cook through.
- Using Rotisserie Chicken: Add 2 cups of shredded meat at the end of cooking to warm.
- Use Dried Herbs: Use ¾ teaspoons of each dried rosemary and thyme.
- Using Other Dairy: Whole milk or half-and-half can be used but will have a less rich consistency.
- Make it Dairy-free: Use olive instead of butter. Use cashew milk, coconut milk, or almond milk instead of cream. The consistency will be thinner.
- Storing: Store the cooled soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Add more stock if needed for reheating.
- Freezing: Store in individual containers for 2 to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, or run the container over cool water, then reheat.
- Reheating: Cook over medium heat on the stovetop until hot. Add more stock or water to thin out the soup.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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