Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Classic comfort food made truly delicious. This creamy chicken noodle soup recipe will quickly beat out all your other soup recipes to become everyone’s favorite. I’ve tried to make it without the canned soup, I’ve tried to get fancy with fresh cream and herbs, but everyone always asks for this one. I hope your family loves it too.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Tongs
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups chopped carrots (about 3 large carrots)
- 1 ½ cups chopped celery (about half a head of celery)
- 1 cup chopped onion (about one medium onion)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon base
- ½ teaspoon course ground black pepper (plus additional for seasoning)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large chicken breasts)
- 4 ounces of wide egg noodles (about 2 ½ cups)
- 2 10.5 ounce cans cream of chicken soup
- ¼ cup water or milk
- salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (optional garnish)
Want To Save This For Later?
I’m email you a link so you can find it when you need it.
You'll join my email list which you will love. And if you don't, unsubscribe in one click. ❤️
Instructions
- Cook the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Then, add the chopped carrots, celery, and onion. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent and the vegetables are tender. Watch the heat to prevent burning.
- Add the flour. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stirring continuously to coat them evenly and break up any clumps. Cook for 2-3 minutes, allowing the flour to combine with the butter and vegetables.
- Add the broth and bouillon. Slowly stir in the chicken broth to avoid lumps. Then, increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Next, add the chicken bouillon base and ½ teaspoon of black pepper, stirring to blend the flavors.
- Cook the chicken. Carefully place the chicken breasts into the pot, fully submerging them in the broth. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Then, remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a cutting board. If needed, cook for a few extra minutes until fully done.
- Cook the noodles. Add the egg noodles to the pot, stirring to combine. Cover and cook on medium-high for 7-10 minutes until noodles are tender. While the noodles cook, use two forks to shred the chicken on the cutting board into bite-sized pieces. Once the noodles are done, return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- Add the cream soup. Whisk together the two cans of cream of chicken soup in a small bowl with ¼ cup of water or milk. Then, pour the mixture into the pot, stirring thoroughly until the soup is creamy and well blended. Taste and add additional pepper and salt if desired.
- Garnish and serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley for garnish, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
Taking the extra time to cook the vegetables in butter might seem like an extra step, but it makes the whole pot taste better.
I’ve tried to make this recipe as simple as possible while keeping everything that makes it taste like it simmered all day. But really, it only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish..
Tips for Success
Cut your veggies about the same size (think about the size of a pea) so they all get tender at the same time
Keep the heat medium-low when cooking the flour and keep an eye on it.
Check your chicken after about 15 minutes it’s easy to overcook chicken breasts.
Let the soup sit for 5 minutes before serving to thicken up.
Ingredients and Equipment
Low-Sodium Chicken Broth: Lets you control the salt
Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base: Adds great flavor without too much salt
Cream of Chicken Soup: Makes the broth creamy without extra work
Large Dutch Oven: Heats evenly and nothing sticks
Make It Your Own
You can switch out veggies, noodles, or even the meat for your favorite.
- Try cream of mushroom soup instead of one can of cream of chicken.
- Make in a slow cooker: Cook the veggies, broth, and chicken on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Shred the chicken, add the noodles, and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the noodles are tender, then stir in the cream soup.
- Toss in some frozen peas or corn at the end.
- Switch to turkey when you have leftovers. (We do this every year after Thanksigivng and it tastes exactly the same.)
- Use rice instead of egg noodles, just throw in leftover white rice, already cooked, at the end.
- Serve this in sourdough bread bowls to make this normal soup feel extra special.
This has become my favorite recipe in winter when we need something cozy and filling. If you’re not feeling well, if you’re cold, if you wish your mom was still around to make you soup and tell you everything will be okay, I hope you make yourself a bowl of this.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.