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This Creamy Chicken Soup takes your favorite chicken noodle soup but makes it extra creamy and comforting. It’s made all in one pot (including cooking the noodles!) and is a great way to use up leftover chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
Want more chicken soup recipes? Try my creamy Chicken and Potato Soup next!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Creamy and Comforting – Chicken Noodle Soup is already comforting, and making a creamy version just amplifies that!
- One Pot Meal – I love that this Creamy Chicken Soup cooks all in one pot for easy cleanup.
- Use Up Leftover Chicken – This recipe is a fun way to use leftover cooked chicken in a new way.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This is a great recipe to use leftover chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
- Butter – I like to use salted, but you can use unsalted and just season with salt to taste
- Chopped Veggies – Onion, Carrot, and Celery, also known as mirepoix.
- Minced Garlic – Freshly minced is best, but you can also save time by using the kind in a jar.
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth – You can also swap in chicken stock.
- Fresh Herbs – Rosemary, Thyme, and Parsley. Using fresh herbs really enhances the flavor, but in a pinch, you can swap in dried herbs.
- Cooked Chicken – This is a great use of leftover cooked chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store. If you’re cooking chicken first, I recommend this recipe for oven baked chicken breasts or baked boneless chicken thighs.
- Wide Egg Noodles – The egg noodles will cook right in the soup or you can cook them separately on the side and add.
- Heavy Cream – For a lighter version, you can swap in half and half, but I don’t recommend using regular milk.
How To Make This Creamy Chicken Soup
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Making a creamy chicken soup is done all in one pot (including cooking the noodles right in the soup) and is super easy to make!
Cook Mirepoix and Make Roux – Cook up the onion, celery, and carrot in the butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven. Add the garlic to cook just at the very end to avoid burning it. Add the flour and cook for a few minutes – this makes a roux which helps thicken the soup.
Add Broth and Herbs – After adding the broth and herbs, you’ll want to bring the soup to a boil until it thickens slightly.
Add Chicken and Noodles – After adding the cooked chicken and uncooked noodles to the soup, allow to simmer so the noodles are al dente.
Add Cream – At the end, lower the heat (so the soup doesn’t boil) and add the cream, cooking until the creamy soup is warmed through.
Serve and Enjoy! I like to give the soup one last taste and adjust seasonings, then serve with fresh parsley to garnish.
Recipe FAQs
When adding cream to a soup, it needs to be added at the end so it warms in the soup but you don’t want to boil the cream.
If you boil a soup with cream in it, the cream may curdle. When adding dairy to the soup, it’s best to add toward the end of cooking and lower the heat so the soup doesn’t get above a simmer.
Starting the soup by making a roux (cooking butter and flour) helps thicken the soup.
Variations
- Tortellini instead of Egg Noodles – Instead of egg noodles, cooking up some tortellini (like cheese tortellini) is a great swap! I recommend cooking separately and then adding to each bowl. It works for my creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup!
- Rice instead of Egg Noodles – Rice is another good swap for the egg noodles. You’ll also want to cook the rice separately and add it to each bowl right before serving. Or try my creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.
- Add Beans – To add extra protein and fiber, white beans like white navy beans, great northern beans, or cannellini beans are a great add. You can add the canned beans (rinsed and drained) in the last 10ish minutes of cooking to warm.
Storage
Storage – Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating – Reheat leftovers in a pot on the stovetop on low, stirring frequently. Add splashes of broth or water as needed; the soup will thicken a lot as it cools.
Freezing – Freeze in zip-top freezer bags, lay flat in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat on the stovetop on low.
Expert Tips
- Rotisserie Chicken – If using a rotisserie chicken, pour all of the juices from the packaging into the pot to further fortify the broth.
- Vegetable Size – Cut carrots and celery the same size for even cooking.
- Add Extra Veggies – For extra veggies, add a cup of frozen peas during the last 2 minutes of the cooking process.
- Save Time – Use rotisserie chicken and frozen veggies to save time for a quick soup meal.
More Soup Recipes
Creamy Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 7 cups low sodium chicken broth divided
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 large sprig fresh thyme leaves stripped
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 heaping cups cooked chicken
- 4 cups wide egg noodles
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add onion, celery and carrot, and season with a pinch of salt. Saute the vegetables until the onions are translucent; about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add flour and cook 2-3 minutes. Note: Reduce heat if it begins to brown.
- Stir in 6 cups of broth, followed by rosemary, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil until soup thickens slightly; about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken and noodles and bring to a boil. Add the lid to just partially cover the pot, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until noodles are al dente, 8-11 minutes. Scrape the bottom of pot frequently to prevent sticking.
- Add the heavy cream, and heat over low heat until warmed through, do not allow to boil. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add reserved 1 cup broth. Serve immediately, garnished with more fresh parsley.
- Stir in the heavy cream and continue to heat over low heat until the soup is warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper.
- If the soup is too thick for your liking, add the reserved broth, ½ cup at a time.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat leftovers in a pot on the stovetop on low, stirring frequently. Add splashes of broth or water as needed, the soup will thicken a lot as it cools.
- Freeze in zip top freezer bags, lay flat in freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat on the stovetop on low.
- To keep it super simple and easy, use a rotisserie chicken and frozen mixed vegetables.
