Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This creamy chicken noodle soup is creamy yet light, and benefits from the addition of potato, flavorful thyme and oregano, and convenient pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. You can make it on the stove or slow cooker (see Note for slow cooker instructions).

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup (100g) chopped yellow onion (1/2 of a large onion)
• 1 cup (120g) sliced or diced carrots (1–2 large carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
• 1 cup (120g) sliced or diced celery (2–3 stalks)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh)
• 8 cups (1.92 liters) chicken broth (I recommend reduced sodium)
• 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (around 1 and 1/2 cups or 280g)
• 2 cups (about 250g) shredded or chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup (240ml) half-and-half or whole milk
• 3–4 cups (about 112-150g) uncooked wide egg noodles (or other dry pasta, see note first)
• optional for garnish: fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven (4 quart or larger) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Next, add the chicken broth and potato. Give everything a quick stir, then increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the soup to a boil, without stirring, and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and allow to simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes have softened. Taste the soup, and add more seasonings to taste, if desired.
3. Add the chicken, half-and-half/milk, and noodles. Cook for 10 minutes until the noodles are tender and the soup has thickened. Once again, taste the soup and add more seasoning as desired. Serve warm.
4. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To reheat, simply pour into a pot over medium heat and cook until warm. Feel free to add more chicken broth to the leftovers if it’s too thick. (Soup thickens in the refrigerator as the noodles and potatoes soak up the liquid.)

Notes

1. Freezing Instructions: Freeze soup for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator the day before eating, and then reheat on the stove until warm.
2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Dutch oven
3. Slow Cooker Instructions: Prepare the soup through step 1 on the stovetop. Transfer to a slow cooker (affiliate link) and continue with step 2, but do not add the potato yet. Allow to cook for 2 hours on low, then add the potato, chicken, half-and-half/milk, and noodles. Cook on low for 1–2 more hours.
4. Flavor Tip: During the last few minutes of cook time, try adding a squeeze of fresh lemon. It’s so good!
5. Flour: Instead of 1/4 cup of flour, you can use 2 Tablespoons (16g) cornstarch.
6. Herbs: I love this soup with oregano and thyme. Or you can use 1 and 1/2–2 teaspoons pre-made Italian seasoning (found in the spice aisle).
7. Broth: I use low sodium chicken broth. If you are using regular broth, start with only 1/4 teaspoon of salt. As the soup finishes up, taste and add more salt if desired.
8. Chicken: I recommend using rotisserie chicken, and you can use either white or dark meat. Or you can roast some chicken breasts yourself. Rub with a little minced garlic and dried thyme, roast in the oven under tender, then shred or chop it. You can also boil 2 large chicken breasts until cooked through, then shred/chop and use in this recipe.
9. Whole Milk/Half-and-Half: Either works wonderfully in this recipe. Avoid lower-fat milks, and if you need a nondairy milk suggestion, I recommend plain oat milk. Plain almond milk would be the second best option for nondairy. Keep in mind that the soup won’t be as creamy. You could use 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream instead. If using 1/2 cup of heavy cream, add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the recipe.
10. Best Noodles to Use: I prefer wide egg noodles in chicken soup, but any homestyle egg noodles work. You can use other dry pasta too, such as elbow macaroni or fettuccine (break up to fit on soup spoon). If using a smaller pasta, reduce amount to 2-3 cups. A few readers have even used tortellini! Or you can use 1 cup of uncooked rice instead. Add it when you would add the noodles.