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
This is probably the best recipe I have found!! OUTSTANDING CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP…Thank you for sharing.
This recipe is definitely a winner, I would not change a thing. Thank for my new winter comfort food. The flavor beckons you for more.
This soup is an absolute *Winner* in my house! Yes, I have made and enjoy several different soups but this one just has so much goodness going for it. All I can say is “Yum and a Big, Big “thank You!!
I made this soup tonight and it was absolutely delicious!
The only changes I made was adding a little more thyme and oregano, along with 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning. I also had to add a little more butter to the veggies after I added the flour. I used Amish egg noodles and both my husband and me loved it!
Thank you for this recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing this rexipe!!!! It is fabulous!!!! I made it with turkey and it is deeeelish..will definitely keep it in rotation!!
It was so delicious and easy to make.
Could I do a dairy free version and sub almond milk for the half and half?
Hi Raylene! We haven’t tested that, but it should work fine. The soup will be thinner.
Nutrition info would be helpful for those with diet restrictions
Hi Joyce! 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
can you leave out the potato?
Sure can
This soup is soo good !
Turned out great.. I cut the recipe in half except I added all the vegetables and seasonings. Used my new Green Pan Essential cooking skillet which was an experiment
Best chicken soup I’ve had. The only difference I did was use a rotisserie chicken to make the broth. I’ll definitely make this again
I came home from a trip with a cough and fever, and looked for a chicken soup recipe to start the healing process. This chicken soup recipe is the best I’ve ever made! Perfect combination of seasonings, I wondered about the oregano, but it blended perfectly. The half and half added a nice body to the broth. It was great to use a rotisserie chicken, and I had enough leftover for the next time I make it. It will be sooner than later, but hopefully not because anyone’s sick, just because we loved the soup so much.
This recipe was wonderful. It came together perfectly and all I had to add was a little more salt and pepper. This one is another Sally keeper! Thank you
Really enjoyed this recipe. Definitely will make many times again!
Is there anything that I can do to help the fact that I’m a little short of egg noodles? I don’t know exactly but I have at least 3 cups and maybe a little more. Would you just leave it as is or would you change anything?
Hi Lydia, you can leave the recipe as is and simply use less noodles. Enjoy!
This was one of the nicest chicken noodle soup I have made yet; I think the addition of milk made it! And it became an even easier recipe when I used the rotisserie chicken as recommended! I will definitely make this again!
Husband loved the recipe, said it was as great as his grandma’s (maybe even a little better) and I’ve been eating the leftovers, absolutely delicious. A perfect consistency and flavor!
Delicious! This recipe made so much that I put some in a couple of containers and put them in the freezer for later. This is a tasty chicken noodle soup recipe. I really like the potato, the wide egg noodles and the color that the milk gives it. (My other chicken soup recipes are a chicken & rice and a chicken with tortellini as the noodle addition.)
This was the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had!! I thought mine was good.
This was a absolute hit! It was fairly easy to make and had such great flavor and consistency. I used whole milk instead of half and half. Thank you Sally!
Lovely recipe. Made a half portion, and it worked very well. Didn’t have thyme but used bay leaf for a bit of extra flavor. Also put it in a blender before adding the chicken and noodles. Made it a really smooth, creamy soup.
This recipe was so good. You are my go to for anything sweet, but now I’m going to pay more attention to the savory too!
I tried your recipe creamy chicken noodle soup, and it was delicious!! This is a definitely a recipe that will be in my recipe box. Thank you Sally!
This recipe is sooooo delicious and so easy! This is my first time making chicken noodle soup and it tastes as good as the restaurant’s! Thanks so much for sharing!
I hate when people change a recipe but still give it 5 stars – but here I go doing that now! I’m giving it 5 stars still because I’m positive it would be even better made as written – but for the lower carb people out there, this is what I changed. No potatoes, but 1/2 head cauliflower instead. Once it was cooked, I used a stick blender to thicken it. It’s still on the stove and I’ve already eaten 2 bowls. I’m debating adding heavy cream – it really doesn’t even need it. Also, I didn’t use thyme, oregano or noodles – still delicious! Thank you so much!!
No noodles…added some roasted corn kernels and chopped green chile…because I live in New Mexico and that’s how we like it. Garnish with chopped cilantro, sliced avocado and crushed tortilla chips. Was very tasty!
Well, I was going to try the Hummingbird Cake recipe first, but tripped across this while I was printing out the other. Since I’d planned to make chicken noodle soup yesterday, I was intrigued by the use of potato as a thickener. (Of course, it also uses flour and half-and-half.) Two hours later we were eating the soup. Oh yum! My new favorite chicken noodle soup recipe. Decided to go ahead and order a hard copy of the Baking Addiction book before I even tried the Hummingbird cake. (Hopefully later today if I don’t get side-tracked eating chicken noodle soup.)
Delicious
Fantastic