Thick and Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Thick and Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup features a hearty blend of tender chicken, wide egg noodles, and softened vegetables in a creamy broth enriched with milk and optional heavy cream. The soup is seasoned with thyme, oregano, and black pepper to develop a comforting flavor. The flour and butter mixture helps achieve its signature creamy texture while simmering allows the flavors to meld and noodles to cook through. This recipe is suited to those seeking a filling soup that balances rich, velvety broth with familiar chicken noodle ingredients.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 carrot peeled and sliced thin (about 1 1/2 large carrots, heaping cup
- 1 celery sliced thin (about 2 large stalks, heaping cup
- 1 vidalia onion diced small, medium, sweet
- 2 to 4 garlic minced, cloves
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 64 ounces chicken broth 8 cups, low-sodium
- 1 ½ cups milk read blog post about milk/cream substitutions, whole
- 12 ounces egg noodles or your favorite noodles or pasta, wide
- 2 to 3 cups chicken white or dark meat, turkey may be substituted; use a store bought rotisserie chicken to save time, shredded, cooked
- 1 teaspoon thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, fresh
- ½ to 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste, freshly ground
- ½ to 1 cup heavy cream optional but highly recommended (read blog post about milk substitutions)
- salt to taste (1 to 2 tablespoons likely but add slowly and to taste)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons parsley optional and to taste, finely minced, fresh
Instructions
- To a very large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil, carrots, celery, onion, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften; stir intermittently.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 minute, or until fragrant; stirring constantly.
- Evenly sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, add the butter, and stir constantly until the butter melts, about 1 minute.
- Add the broth, milk, egg noodles, cooked chicken, thyme, oregano, pepper, and bring to a boil. Allow mixture to boil uncovered fairly rapidly for about 10 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through and the vegetables are very tender.
- Add the heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Turn off the heat, taste the soup, and add salt to taste and the optional parsley. I added nearly 2 tablespoons of salt but this will vary based on how salty the broth used is, how salty the chicken is, how much cream you added, and personal preference for salt. If desired, make any necessary seasoning adjustments (i.e. more salt, pepper, herbs, etc.).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
- Reheat leftover soup gently at low heat or half power in the microwave to avoid curdling the milk or cream.
- Using whole milk and heavy cream minimizes the chance of the dairy separating during reheating compared to lower-fat options.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 10 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 470
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 470kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 34g | 68% |
| Fat | 27g | 42% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 13g | 76% |
| Cholesterol | 141mg | 47% |
| Sodium | 6075mg | 253% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 12g | 24% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.