This easy creamy chicken noodle soup recipe is ready in just 40 minutes, incredibly delicious, and turns out perfectly creamy!
This is the creamy version of our popular chicken noodle soup, and it walks the line of being super silky without being too thick.
Just like our classic, the secret to this ridiculously flavorful broth is chicken thighs, which guarantee a delicious result in under 40 minutes, with most of that time being hands-off. I usually make a double batch of this homemade creamy chicken noodle soup because it’s that good!
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: These are my secret for the best creamy chicken noodle soup. They have more fat and flavor than chicken breast and are almost impossible to overcook as they simmer, guaranteeing a tender texture.
- Chicken Broth: While I recommend homemade chicken stock, store-bought chicken broth works great too. When shopping, look for darker broths or bouillon, as they typically have a richer flavor. Bone broth is a great option as well!
- Flour and Cream: A bit of flour helps thicken the soup, while a splash of cream adds richness and creaminess. Don’t substitute milk for the cream. I learned the hard way that milk can curdle and won’t give you the same richness. Half-and-half is the next best option if you’re out of cream.
- Egg Noodles: I love them, but feel free to substitute your favorite pasta.
- Veggies: I keep it simple and classic with onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. The same combination we use when making chicken pot pie.
- Herbs: Thyme, bay leaves, and parsley are all classic flavors for chicken soup.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Tip 1: Start your veggies in butter. I always sweat my veggies in butter before adding any broth. I’m not looking to brown them. I want to give them a head start before adding the broth, so they are sweet in the soup.
Tip 2: Use flour to thicken the soup. I don’t really enjoy thick soup, but I love using a little bit of flour (just 3 tablespoons) to make the broth more silky. It works like a charm!
Tip 3: Poach the chicken in the broth. Instead of starting with a whole chicken, we use chicken thighs, which flavor our soup and turn out soft and tender when cooked. When you are happy with the broth, add the chicken thighs. Then, gently poach them in the broth. It takes about 20 minutes! This is the same method I use when making shredded chicken.
Tip 4: Finish with the noodles and cream. To prevent your noodles from overcooking, add them towards the end of the cooking process. Then finish with a generous splash of cream and plenty of fresh parsley.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This creamy chicken noodle soup is easy to make and ready in under 45 minutes. My family loves this soup because it’s so incredibly delicious and perfectly creamy without being too thick. For the original, see our Classic Chicken Noodle Soup.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs (450g)
3 tablespoons butter, chicken fat, or olive oil (42g)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
Heaped tablespoon minced garlic, 4 cloves
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme or use ½ teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken stock, try homemade chicken stock
5 ounces egg noodles
¼ cup heavy cream, plus more as needed (60ml)
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch or two crushed red chili peppers, optional for heat
Directions
1Cook veggies: Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
2Make a roux: Stir in the flour and cook, stirring it around the pan, for about 2 minutes.
3Prepare the broth: Add the thyme and bay leaves, then continue to stir while pouring in the chicken stock. Bring the soup to a low simmer, then taste it and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Depending on the stock used, you may need to add one or more teaspoons of salt.
4Poach the chicken: Submerge the chicken thighs in the soup so that the broth covers them. Bring the soup back to a low simmer, then partially cover the pot with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken thighs are cooked through and tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate to cool for a minute. If the broth seems low, add a bit more stock or use water and reduce the heat a little.
5Add the noodles: Stir the noodles into the soup and cook until done, 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of noodles used.
6Shred the chicken: While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken into strips or dice it into cubes.
7Finish and serve: Slide the chicken back into the pot. Add the cream and parsley, then taste the soup once more. Adjust with more salt and pepper, as needed. We enjoy this soup with a generous amount of pepper or a pinch of crushed red peppers stirred in.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The noodles soak up the soup broth as it sits. When reheating, add a splash of extra chicken stock or water if you don’t have any.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months. The noodles don’t fare too well when frozen. If you plan on freezing the soup, remove the portion you plan to freeze before adding the noodles. Freeze the broth, chicken, and vegetables. When you are ready to reheat the soup, add dried noodles to it and simmer until done.
- Seasoning: If you feel the soup lacks some zing, add more salt. You can add flavor with a dash of fish sauce (we often use this trick for store-bought stocks and broths) or Worcestershire sauce.
- Gluten-free option: Skip the flour altogether. At the end of the recipe, just before you stir in the chicken, parsley, and cream, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and then whisk into the soup. Bring the soup to a simmer, and when it has thickened slightly, continue with the recipe as normal and add the chicken, cream, and parsley.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Keen to try your recipes.
Wow, this was delicious. This will be my new go-to recipe for chicken noodle soup. Thank you! I also love your recipe for chewy granola bars 🙂
You are so welcome! We love those granola bars and so happy you do too! 🙂
I thought that I had hit the jackpot with this recipe. I loved it. But my 90 year old mother voiced that it was “too spicy,” which seems impossible because it had the exact amount of measured dry thyme (1/2 teaspoon) & two bayleaves.
So my question is; is there something else that I can use instead of thyme, where it will still be delicious, but not overpowering to my elderly mother? Please let me know what else to try, as I am not a cook. None of this comes naturally to me.
Hi there, I’d just reduce the thyme the next time you make it for your mother.
Absolutely delicious 😋 made it this evening for dinner and the whole family loved it. I used Italian pasta instead of noodles as I live in the UK. I used bought bone broth and added more stock while the pasta was cooking. The flavours were delicious and I’ll definitely be making this again – thank you!
You are so welcome! We are thrilled that the whole family loved the recipe! 🙂
This is absolutely my go to soup. I have made it numerous times, and every time it is a huge hit. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe !!
That’s wonderful, Toni!
Made many a chicken soup over the years and this one was excellent. It is full of flavor. Made last night for sick hubby and he was very thankful. Made a few proportion changes (increased carrots, decreased noodles) & used precooked, shredded chicken breast from our freezer. Came together quickly and hit the mark for him. Keeping this as my go-to.
I saw this recipe today and I just had to make it it looked delicious. And it did not disappoint. I’ve 73 years old and I made a lot of different chicken soup recipes and this by far is the best one I’ve ever made. Chicken thighs added so much flavor. I did not make my own broth but I did buy bone broth and also added some chicken broth base in a jar in addition to the bone broth, a in a jar to boiling waterto the recipe as well. I’m just cleaning up my dishes and I’m going to sit down and enjoy but I highly recommend this recipe!
Finally, made this soup. What a hit it was! Everyone loved it! I used chicken breasts because it’s what I had. I added more butter than the recipe called for – we won’t discuss how much…lol, and I cooked my noodles separately and we added them to the bowls before we ladled in the soup. I have made chicken noodle soup quite a bit in my day, but I never thought about putting cream in it. WOW! What a flavor punch the cream is! My husband does not really like soups, but he loved this one. He said I could make this soup anytime I wanted! LOL Thank you, Adam and Joanne!
Love it! You are so welcome. We are so happy you and your husband loved your soup 🙂
Hi, I made it with milk and it did not curdle. I’ve made creamy any soup countless times with milk, no problem. Maybe south African milk is different. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Z, when it comes to the milk, I’ve found if the soup is simmering, milk may curdle more easily. I am glad you have not had any issues, though!
I made this soup just as described for my family and it was wonderful. Definitely a recipe to keep. We have a big family and it feeds them all and best of all is very nourishing and satisfying. Children of all ages, even down to the very young, can enjoy a meal like this. I will be referring back again and again.
Amazing! We are so happy that your family enjoys the soup! 🙂
A new favorite during December for chilly days! The flavor was excellent!
WOW! Super simple and absolutely delicious 🤤 I did cilantro instead of parsley and added Trader Joe’s Onion salt to the mix. I’ll be making it again. Thanks!
Haven’t made it yet but sounds great! My tip when working with rice or pasta for soup is to cook them separately then add to the soup when served; this way you can A) Control the amount of carb consumption & B) Not have to worry about them “sucking up” all the delicious broth!
This soup was a real hit with my family. I appreciate the vid and the clear instructions. Keep cooking! Now that I’m retired I enjoy your oftentimes easier take on old favorites.
What a wonderful compliment! We are glad to hear that the video was helpful 🙂
On rotation in our house! Such a great recipe that the whole family loves!
My husband made this soup yesterday using this recipe and we absolutely loved it. Even our 16-month old son enjoyed eating it too. We will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
We made this soup for dinner last night it was SO GOOD! Very easy to make and the flavor was wonderful.
Fantastic soup. Made it GF by using GG flour and GF noodles. Swapped one cup of stock for white wine, and added a scoop of miso.
Realllyyyy nice, added a bit of fresh turmeric to spice up the yellow colour. Will make it again!
Can the creamy version be frozen? Do I need to leave out the cream as well as the noodles? Thanks!
Hi Penny, I am glad that you asked. Yes, if you would like to freeze this soup, we recommend leaving the cream out.
Excellent. Was rich, creamy, and more filling than any other chicken noodle soup. We agreed that this is the best chicken noodle soup recipe we have ever tried. Worth making over and over again and will be in our recipe arsenal.
Absolutely LOVED this recipe!! The flavor was so on point. The aroma, heavenly
I made this Creamy Chicken Noodle soup today! I had roasted off a whole chicken a couple days ago and used it. The soup is delicious and very quick to make. Hubby loved it! Thank You, been watching your videos for years and love your recipes!
Would I be able to use rotisserie chicken?
Hi Tim, You can definitely use rotisserie chicken. If you check out our other popular chicken noodle soup recipe we have tips for using a rotisserie chicken.
Delicious and a keeper – made exactly as the recipe stated ( husband is not a spice lover) will be on the menu regularly now we’re going into winter, and the added bonus of being a cold remedy 😀
I made this Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Today. This soup is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. Very easy to make. It is the best recipe that I have found and made. I didn’t have enough pepper but I added Red Pepper flakes. The combination of spices really made it so tasty. It is SOOOOO YUMMY! Thank you so much
This recipe is AMAZING! I added two diced jalapenos with the onions, carrots, garlic and celery! My husband claims that this is his favorite!
This soup was very tasty and the whole family loved it! Thank you for sharing.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was great. My family loved it thank so much the Martinez family
I made this soup this week and it’s delicious! I added extra pepper and the red pepper flakes. The seasoning gave the soup a zing that my family loved. Thank you for this recipe!
I now have this on the menu for next week. I have followed you for a long time and made many of your delightful recipes and thought it time to give you a big thank you. You two are a delight to watch as down to earth real and fun people with great skills in the kitchen. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.