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This wholesome creamy chicken noodle soup is simple, warming comfort food! It has egg noodles, tender chicken, and an irresistible broth made with real cream.
I think that you’ll also enjoy my Easy Chicken Stew, Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, or Chicken Pot Pie Soup for more family favorites.
Why you’ll love it
True to S&L form, we’re using easy to find ingredients for this low-effort soup. There are few things more comforting than homemade chicken soup to chase away the chill, and it’s even better when it’s this simple to make. One lovely reader said “It’s the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever tasted.” There ya go!
Everyone enjoys a piping hot bowl of classic Chicken Noodle Soup on a drizzly or chilly day. While it’s hard to improve upon, this creamy chicken noodle soup has done it. Cream is the velvety finishing touch for a special and more flavorful twist on the original, and it doesn’t feel like a heavy soup.
What you’ll need
- Celery, carrots, and onion – the classic base for soups collectively known as mirepoix. I like sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Garlic – our tasty aromatic
- Flour – it’s the key to thickening up the broth
- Chicken broth – for savory depth of flavor
- Chicken – we’re using boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Italian seasoning – this all-around tasty blend of dried herbs gives a lovely quality to this soup, and it comes in a single jar for convenience
- Heavy cream – it adds a silky richness
- Pasta – we are using traditional egg noodles
- Parsley – fresh chopped parsley provides that bright contrast to tie this soup together
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- A sturdy Le Creuset cast iron Dutch oven is a great investment for soups and stews.
- A pair of cooking tongs are really useful for handling the chicken.
- Use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked through to 165F.
- Pick up a reliable ladle for all your soup needs!
How to make creamy chicken noodle soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the carrots, celery, and onion in a soup pot until softened, then add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in the flour, cooking for a minute or so. Pour in the chicken broth, stirring until the flour has dissolved.
Add in the chicken along with the Italian seasoning and cream. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in the noodles, and cook them al dente.
Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the pot and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Return to the soup, give it a taste and season with salt & pepper, and add the chopped fresh parsley.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend making substitutions for the cream unless you’re confident that it’ll work. This recipe has only been tested with cream. Something lower fat may curdle.
- If you have fresh herbs on hand, feel free to throw them in! Thyme or rosemary or any fresh herb blend designed for poultry would work well.
- You can use boneless/skinless chicken thighs if you like them better. They also are harder to overcook and stay more juicy. Rotisserie chicken is fine too, and you can add it in 5 minutes prior to the soup being done.
- Feel free to sub the egg noodles with another pasta that cooks in a similar amount of time.
What to serve with chicken noodle soup
- I like a slice of crusty bread for simple comfort, but I’ll never say no to Cheesy Garlic Bread either.
- You could also serve with crackers, or top with my Garlic Parmesan Croutons.
- A salad would be a great way to complement the meal. Try my zesty Homemade Ranch Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. 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.
- Warm up in a saucepan for best results over a low heat until hot.
- 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 right away, in my opinion.
If you made this creamy chicken soup, leave a star rating and comment below! Ask any questions you might have as well. You can also find me on Instagram.
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 open.
- Reduce the heat so it's simmering gently. Let it cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the noodles and cover the pot again (lid slightly open) 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 depending on portion size.
- It’s best eaten right away. The noodles will soak up the soup, so you may need to add a splash more chicken broth or cream when reheating.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on March 10, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Love this! I added one small leftover potato with the carrots, onion, and celery. I also added about 1.7 lbs of raw chicken tenderloins, and shredded opposed to chopping and it was so amazingly hardy and delicious. After shredding the chicken, be sure to cover the hot cooked chicken quickly so it doesn’t dry out. Cooking the raw chicken inside the soup adds so much more flavor.
A few other additions:
– swapping 1.5ish tbsp of fresh chopped thyme instead of Italian seasoning. I didn’t have any Italian seasoning on hand but plenty of fresh thyme from the garden!!
– added 1 tbsp of mushroom better than bouillon. Added a wonderful earthy-ness.
– swapped heavy cream with fat free half and half. Still creamy!
Thanks so much for this recipie.
You are welcome!
I’ve been thinking about chicken noodle soup for a while but have never made it before so wasn’t sure which recipe to follow. I found this one when my husband requested a creamy version and it did not disappoint! 10/10! Easy to follow, minimal prep work and delicious result. I did add a little bit more broth (as suggested) because we used Amish wide egg noodles and they were hard to eyeball “2 cups” worth so just wound up dumping some in, but it worked out great! 🙂
I’m so glad it was a hit!! 😀
Delicious! Pretty much followed the recipe…so good! My husband gobbled it up!
Love it!
This soup is absolutely delicious! Definitely recommend it…
Thank you, Janice!! 😀
This soup is perfect in a cold rainy day! So delicious and so easy to make!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, Debi!! Thanks for your review! 😀
Made this for dinner tonight, it was amazing, everyone loved it!
Glad to hear it, Gina! 😀
Hey Natasha! This is awesome soup. Its actually cold here in southern Florida and needed this yummy warming soup ! I followed exactly but added the rest of my baby spinach from your “easy creamy sausage and peppers” recipe. I mean, you are always using pantry ready ingredients, and I rarely need to change any of your recipes. The spinach just added color as I didn’t have parsley. Thank you !
You’re very welcome!! 😀 I’m so happy you enjoyed it and always have the ingredients on hand. XO
Hi, love your recipes. For this particular recipe how much do you consider one serving, 1 Cup? I need to produce at least 2 Cups per person to serve 18-20 people. Thanks!
Hi Paige! I don’t know what a serving works out to, unfortunately. The nutrition info is calculated automatically and meant to be an estimate. I just eyeball serving size to give people a general idea, and of course it’s a bit more difficult with soups.
Can you use an Instapot for this recipe?
The recipe doesn’t say when to add the whipping cream. At what point are you supposed to add this?
It says in step 4.