This creamy chicken noodle soup recipe is total comfort in a bowl! Egg noodles, tender chicken, and a broth made with real cream will warm you right up.
You may also like my Easy Chicken Stew or my Creamy White Chicken Chili if you want more cozy chicken recipes!
This chicken soup recipe basically is a special and more flavorful twist on your standard chicken noodle soup. The cream adds a tasty richness, and the flour helps thicken the broth. It's silky and oh so good!
This recipe is made with everyday ingredients: celery, carrots, onions, and garlic to get that classic flavor base, chicken broth and cream, a pinch of Italian seasoning, egg noodles, and some parsley at the end to add a little freshness. This soup is wholesome, satisfying, and delicious. It doesn't make a massive batch (I'd say 4 pretty generous portions or 6 smaller ones), but I also found it tastes best when eaten right away, so I didn't want to make a massive amount that most people would need to save for leftovers.
How to make creamy chicken noodle soup
- Build that flavor base. Get your soup pot out and sauté the onions, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then stir in the flour;
- Add the liquids and cook the chicken. Add in the chicken broth and stir until it's incorporated, then add in the Italian seasoning, cream, and chicken. Bring the soup to a gentle boil and cook (with the lid slightly open) for 15 minutes;
- Noodles time! Add in the noodles and cook until they're tender (about 8-10 minutes);
- Finish it up. Cut up/shred the chicken and add it back in, then season the soup with salt & pepper as needed and add the chopped parsley.
(Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below)
Recipe notes & tips:
- I don't recommend freezing this soup. The noodles really soak up the broth, and cream doesn't freeze so well. It's one of those soups that's best eaten ASAP in my opinion.
- If the soup at any point is too thick or not brothy enough for you, you can add more chicken broth or cream to it (like for reheating any leftovers).
- You can use boneless/skinless chicken thighs if you like them better. They also are harder to overcook and stay more juicy.
- Feel free to sub the egg noodles with another pasta that cooks in a similar amount of time.
- If you have fresh herbs on hand, feel free to throw them in! Thyme or any fresh herb blend designed for poultry would work well.
- I don't recommend making substitutions for the cream unless you're confident that it'll work. This recipe has been tested with cream and I can't say whether something else will work or not with any certainty unless I test it. Something lower fat may curdle.
What to serve with creamy chicken soup:
Try crusty bread (or a baguette), garlic bread, crackers, croutons, or a salad.
More chicken soup recipes you'll love:
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
I hope you will enjoy this homemade creamy chicken noodle soup! Questions about this recipe? Did you make it? Leave me a comment/review below. 🙂
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped finely
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1.5 pounds uncooked chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 generous cups uncooked egg noodles
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Sauté the celery, carrots, and onion with the butter & oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved. Add in the chicken, Italian seasoning, and cream. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a slight boil. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar.
- Reduce the heat so it's simmering gently. Let it cook for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the noodles and cover the pot again (lid slightly ajar) for a further 8-10 minutes. I like to stir it halfway just to ensure the noodles aren't sticking.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up, then add it back in again and season the soup with salt & pepper to taste, and stir in the fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This soup feeds 4-6.
- I don't recommend freezing this soup. It's best eaten right away.
- 1.5 pounds chicken breasts generally equals 2 larger ones or 3 smaller ones. You can use boneless/skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Chicken is safe to eat when it's reached an internal temperature of 165F. Use an instant read thermometer to test for doneness.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Carole says
This soup is absolutely delicious. I went by the recipe 100%. Chicken soup is sometimes "blah" but not this recipe. The heavy cream gave it a lot of density and the garlic and touch of Italian seasoning gave the flavor. Thank you!
Natasha says
Thank you so much! That makes me happy that it worked out for you. 🙂
Diane says
Just made this for a quick and easy dinner. My family enjoyed it and even have enough leftover for my lunch tomorrow. Thank you for sharing another great recipe! I have tried several of your recipes and have been happy with the result every single time.
Natasha says
Aww thank you!! So happy you all enjoyed this one and others too! 🙂
Alison says
Thank you for this recipe! I have converted it into a crockpot soup which I find easier than having to make it on the stove. I put the carrots, celery, seasoning and about 3 cups of broth into crock. Let cook. Then Add in the cream, flour and rotisserie chicken and a little more broth. Cool the noodles on the stove and bam delicious! So so happy with this recipe and love it more than regular chicken noodle
Natasha says
I'm so glad you liked it and were able to adapt it for the slow cooker, Alison!
Jenny says
I'm planning on making this today, it looks delicious! My question is we can't use regular flour, do you have a suggestion of what you would recommend to use in place of this?
Natasha says
Hmmm... like you need something without gluten due to an allergy? Perhaps try a cornstarch slurry to thicken it. I'd add it in towards the end. Not sure exactly how much to use, but start with 1 tablespoon and add more if needed. Let me know how it goes!
Caroline says
Hi there! Just wanted to drop a note letting you know how much I enjoyed this soup! So flavorful, creamy but not heavy and just simply delicious! I added extra celery and carrots and used chicken I had oven baked prior (I added the precooked chicken when I added the egg noodles). These were my only modifications though. But this was definitely one of my favorite recipes! Thank u for the great recipe!
Natasha says
Aww thank you!! so glad you liked it!
Jenny says
Thank you for the quick reply! We can use wheat flour or a 1/1 substitute for wheat, arrowroot etc. We just can't use regular white flour! No allergies that are known so far!
Natasha says
You're welcome! I haven't used any of those as thickening agents, so unfortunately I really can't speculate on that - sorry!
Sue says
Delicious, thank you !
Natasha says
You're welcome!
Paige says
This is soooo delicious! My husband requests this every week! So easy to make for a dinner party. We just add mashed potatoes from the insta pot and some rolls. Yum yum yum. I do use a rotisserie chicken and add it add the same time as you do. Just adds a little more flavor and I don’t have to remove the chicken and cut it up later. I wish I could give this a 10😉
Natasha says
Aww thank you so much, Paige! I'm so happy this recipe is a hit in your home. XO
Alicia says
oh my gosh, this was amazing! my husband rated it a 9.5/10 and he doesn't even like soup. I added a little bit of garlic powder + onion salt (from Trader Joe's) and did 1.5lbs of chicken and it was AMAZING. I'm gonna try it without the cream next time!
Natasha says
Haha that's great! 🙂
Meredith Walker says
I LOVE this soup!!!! My husband is obsessed with it. I took the author's advice and added fresh herbs- thyme and tarragon- and it was heavenly. I will definitely add this recipe to my regular rotation.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂 So glad it's a hit for you guys.
Molly S says
Love this recipe! I recently had a baby and am dairy free while I breastfeed. Any recommendations on a replacement for the heavy cream? Coconut milk or almond milk maybe?
Natasha says
Hi! I feel like almond milk won't really make it creamy. Coconut milk could work, but it will taste a bit coconutty. Not a bad thing necessarily!
Hanan Rosenstein says
Someone added this recipe to the BuzzFeed Hanukkah recipes. Obviously this is not kosher - cream and chicken. It might be a great recipe, but should not be in this list for Jewish Holiday.
Natasha says
I removed your one star rating since you did not make the recipe, and what someone on Buzzfeed does literally has NOTHING to do with me. It's a completely separate publication and not affiliated with my website at all.
Lyndi W says
Hanan - Not all Jews keep kosher and anyone that does should be fully aware of what they can and cannot eat. Why you would think to give a recipe a 1 star rating because not everyone can eat it is beyond me. Does a peanut butter cookie get 1 star because some people have peanut allergies? Get outta here with that nonsense.
Michelle Gourley says
Made this twice in two weeks and LOVE IT! So fast and easy.
Natasha says
That's awesome! Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe. 🙂
Karen says
This recipe was a complete disaster! The cream curdled terribly and I did everything according to the recipe. I actually had to rescue the chicken and start over with a different recipe. I did wonder why you would put the cream in so early but thought okay I guess they know it works. Not!!!
Natasha says
I'm sorry to hear that. This recipe has plenty of good reviews, so I'm not sure what went wrong. Using the full fat heavy cream it should not curdle.
Ann says
This is a great recipe! My family loved it!
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks for commenting, Ann!
Heather K says
I made this for the first time and it was delicious! The whole family loved it.
Natasha says
Happy to hear that, Heather!!
Angela says
Super easy and delicious! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe ❤️
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! XO
Tamara Yzaguirre says
So easy and so tasty
Natasha says
Great!! 🙂 Happy you liked it!
Barbara says
Yes, I made this. Yes! It was sooooo good! I actually made it for myself, since my husband doesn’t like chicken noodle soup. He asked for “just a taste” of this - and then asked for a whole bowl! The only thing I changed was to make the noodles separately. My husband said to put this on the “repeater” list, so you know it is delicious!
Natasha says
Well that's amazing!! I'm so happy he liked it too! Thanks for telling me. 😀
Eli says
This is so yummy!! I added in homemade dumplings and it complemented the soup very well. Will surely be making this in the future 🙂
Natasha says
Wonderful!!
Bianca says
Wow this is delicious!! Very quick and easy to make. I used a rotisserie chicken and half and half instead of heavy cream. Added plenty of thyme and rosemary and after serving I squeezed a little lemon and dash of cayenne. So glad I came across this recipe!
Natasha says
I'm really glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Maggie says
Do you cook the chicken before adding it to the soup?
Natasha says
Hi Maggie! Not in this recipe. It cooks right in the soup. For your future reference, in any of my recipes that need pre-cooked chicken I always specify and/or give instructions on how to cook it. You can assume any ingredients are raw unless stated otherwise. 🙂 Let me know if you try this soup!
Crystal says
Definitely love this recipe.
Natasha says
Yay!! So glad to hear it, Crystal!
Jeff says
Even my soup-hating kids loved it! I don't have a lot of time, so I cut up a roasted chicken and added it with the noodles. I really love the thick egg noodles as aposed to little noodles like you'd usually see in a chicken noodle soup. Creamy and flavorful, I'll keep making this. Thank you!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Vivian says
Is it possible to use chicken thighs instead of breasts for this recipe?
Natasha says
Absolutely!
Lindsay says
I made this tonight and it is so good. The best chicken noodle I’ve ever had. I will always use this recipe going forward!! Can’t wait to try more of yours!!
Natasha says
Aww I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know! 😀
Becky Warwick says
I appreciate the info on carbs and sugar as that's how I manage my diabetes. Plan to make the soup tomorrow night. My daughter lives with me and chicken recipes are about all she likes. Once again thanks for the info on carbs.
Natasha says
I hope you both enjoy it! 🙂
Jodi Newton says
Do you precook the noodles first or just sump them in to cook in the soup?
Natasha says
I just add them to the soup. They cook really fast, and the starch released also helps thicken the broth a bit.
Kailea Anderson says
Can you use rotisserie chicken?
Natasha says
Sure! I would add it in a bit later though since it's already cooked... just so it doesn't dry out. Let me know how it goes!
Kailea says
The rotisserie chicken is great it in! I added it in when I added the noodles, chicken stayed nice and tender! Great recipe!
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Sandi says
Do you put the chicken breast in whole when you add it to the pot so it cooks in the broth?
Natasha says
Yes, you put them in whole. 🙂
Katerina | Once a Foodie says
Such a gorgeous creamy soup! Yum!
Natasha says
Thanks so much!