Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- PREP 10min
- COOK 35min
- TOTAL 45min
You can make my family’s favorite creamy chicken noodle soup from scratch in under 45 minutes! Some creamy chicken soups are so thick that they remind me of pudding. If that’s the soup you are after, we must agree to disagree. We thicken the broth with butter and flour for this creamy soup until it’s silky and slightly thicker than plain broth. Then, to add richness, we use cream to finish the soup.
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) skinless, boneless chicken thighs
3 tablespoons (42g) butter, chicken fat, or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped (optional)
Heaped tablespoon minced garlic (4 cloves)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme or use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken stock, try homemade stock
5 ounces egg noodles
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream, plus more as needed
Pinch or two crushed red chili peppers, optional for heat
Directions
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.
Stir in the flour and cook while stirring it around the pan for about 2 minutes.
Add the thyme and bay leaves, then continue to stir while pouring in the chicken stock.
Bring the soup to a low simmer, taste it, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Depending on the stock used, you might need to add one or more teaspoons of salt.
Submerge the chicken thighs into 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 a few times, until the chicken thighs are cooked through and tender, about 20 minutes. (If the broth seems low, add a bit more stock or use water and reduce the heat a little.)
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Stir the noodles into the soup and cook until done, 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of noodles used.
While the noodles cook, shred the chicken into strips or dice into cubes.
Slide the chicken back into the pot with the parsley and cream. Taste the soup once more for seasoning.
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.