Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
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The coziest chicken noodle soup! It’s perfectly creamy without feeling weighed down. Made with rotisserie chicken and all the hearty veggies!
I love all chicken noodle soups. Truly, I do. I love an Instant Pot version. A crockpot version. A stovetop version. You name it. But this one. This lighter cream soup version. Yup, this one has completely stolen my heart.
Why you’ll love this creamy chicken noodle soup
- Cozy, warm, cold weather comfort food. Everyone’s favorite chicken noodle soup is transformed into all the creamy goodness without feeling weighed down, the best kind of comfort food.
- Healing powers. This just has all the healing powers during cold and flu season, the best kind of “cure-all” soup with tender chicken and all the hearty veggies.
- Repurposes leftovers. This soup is a great way to repurpose any and all the leftover chicken for an even quicker dinner during those busy, chaotic weeknights.
- Freezes like a dream. Creamy chicken noodle soup freezes beautifully (sans noodles and heavy cream), allowing you to enjoy this soup for weeks to come.
What is creamy chicken noodle soup?
Creamy chicken noodle soup is a twist on the classic chicken noodle soup, repurposing leftover rotisserie chicken and made thicker and creamier with a roux and heavy cream.
How to make creamy chicken noodle soup
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the onion, carrots and celery in a Dutch oven, stirring in the garlic and thyme (or any other herb) until fragrant.
- Add the flour. Stir in the flour until browned – this will serve as a premium thickening agent for the soup. Cooking the flour also eliminates that raw flour taste.
- Deglaze the pan. Stir in the wine, deglazing the pan by scraping up all of the browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the Dutch oven. Chicken stock can be substituted for the wine.
- Simmer. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf, simmering, covered, until the flavors meld and come together.
- Add the chicken and pasta. Stir in the rotisserie chicken and egg noodles, cooking until the noodles are al dente.
- Make it creamy. Add heavy cream, peas and parsley, seasoning one last time with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm. Serve warm with crusty bread.
How to store leftovers
Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, storing the egg noodles separately.
Reheating
Gently reheat over low heat until warmed through, adding a splash of water or stock as needed.
Freezing
Freeze before adding the egg noodles and heavy cream in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight.
more chicken soup recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh or dried thyme, rosemary and parsley are all great options (1 TBSP fresh herbs = 1 tsp dried herbs).
Not at all! Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
I recommend wide egg noodles (the flat wide noodles are perfect for a soup like this!) but you can also use your favorite kind of pasta such as elbow macaroni, ditalini or broken up spaghetti or fettuccine noodles.
The egg noodles are cooked directly in the soup, absorbing all the flavorful broth. But if you are planning for leftovers, the egg noodles should be cooked and stored separately.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Chicken noodle soup pairs so well with crusty bread, dinner rolls, grilled cheese or a light side salad.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the noodles (or else they will get mushy) and heavy cream (cream soups tend to separate when frozen) in individual freezer bags. Thaw overnight and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked noodles and heavy cream when serving.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups leftover shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups wide egg noodles
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup frozen green peas
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in chicken stock and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in chicken and pasta, and cook until pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream, peas and parsley until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Pre-diced mirepoix blend is the best shortcut. Trader Joe’s ready-to-use mirepoix is my favorite weeknight hack! With pre-diced onions, carrots and celery, this dinner will come together lightning fast.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle. Substitute additional stock for a non-alcoholic substitute.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your chicken noodle soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Repurpose leftover chicken. Don’t have any leftover rotisserie chicken on hand? Use any kind of leftover shredded or diced chicken for quick cooking and convenience.
- Egg noodles are preferred. Egg noodles are typically a top choice as they are flat and wide, becoming very tender and fluffy, easily absorbing the broth and soaking in all the flavors.
- Heavy cream will yield ultra-creaminess. Half-and-half (or whole milk) can be substituted, if needed, but heavy cream will yield the ultimate level of creaminess, whereas lower-fat dairy products (half-and-half or milk) will be a little more watery and prone to curdling.
- Plan for leftovers. While the pasta is cooked directly in the soup to absorb all the flavors, cook and store the egg noodles separately if planning for leftovers as the noodles will continue to soak up the broth if stored together.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
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