The Creamy Chicken Soup I Crave the Moment It Gets Cold Outside

For this creamy chicken soup recipe, skip the heavy cream or roux and lean on an everyday pantry staple to add a super-silky texture.

A bowl of creamy chicken noodle soup — Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

When the winds outside are barreling down from the north and a carpet of fallen leaves covers the forest floor, I crave this soup.

What Makes This Chicken Soup Creamy?

The base of most creamy soups calls for heavy cream, a roux made of fat and flour, or both. I love a good stick-to-your-ribs soup as much as the next person, but for this creamy chicken noodle soup, I wanted to lighten it up a bit and increase the protein without adding loads of heavy cream or making a roux.

To do that, I pureed a couple of cans of cannellini beans. It gives the soup a creamy texture, without the extra step of cooking a roux.

I do finish the soup with a little cream to add a velvety texture that only cream can provide, but you can leave that out if you’re dairy-free or just want to skip it.

Simple Variations on Creamy Chicken Soup

Use orzo instead of egg noodles.
Make it a chicken and rice soup by adding cooked rice (or even wild rice) when you add the cream in step 5.
Add a handful of baby spinach leaves right at the end of cooking.
Make the soup even more substantial by adding sliced mushrooms.

Storing and Freezing Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. It will thicken as it sits because the noodles will continue to absorb some of the liquid.

You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months. I like to freeze it in individual containers and reheat it for my lunches. Just make sure you leave about half an inch of headspace for the soup to expand once frozen.

Looking for More Chicken Soup Ideas?

Sauté the vegetables:

Heat olive oil in a stock pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the vegetables, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir only 2 or 3 times, then let it sit for 10 minutes, stir the veggies every 1 to 2 minutes for the next 6 minutes until you notice some color developing on the vegetables. You want them to brown a bit, but not too much.

Carrots, onions and celery in the bottom of a dutch oven for easy to make homemade healthy creamy chicken noodle soup — Alison Bickel

Add the stock and cook the chicken:

Add the chicken stock, scraping any fond that has developed on the bottom of the pan. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to medium to a simmer.

If the thighs have skin, remove it and trim them of any excess fat. Add the thighs to the simmering stock and let it cook uncovered for 20 minutes. If any foam forms on the surface, just skim it off.

Stock being used to delgaze the bottom of the pan filled with vegetables. — Alison Bickel

Raw chicken thighs being placed into simmering stock. — Alison Bickel

Cool the chicken and cook the noodles:

Check the chicken for doneness (160°F). If it isn’t cooked through, cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Use tongs to remove the thighs from the soup, and transfer to a cutting board to cool. Bring the stock up to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente. Reduce the heat to medium low. Remove the meat from the bones.

A blue pot full of homemade chicken noodle soup. — Alison Bickel

Make the bean puree:

In a medium sized bowl, add the drained beans, 1/2 cup water, and apple cider vinegar (which helps balance the flavors). Puree using an immersion blender (or you can do this in a food processor or countertop blender).

Pureeing beans in a white bowl with an immersion blender for homemade creamy chicken noodle soup — Alison Bickel

Finish and serve:

Add the meat back to the pot to reheat. Stir in the bean puree, along with 1/2 cup heavy cream and chopped parsley. Taste and add additional salt or vinegar to suit your fancy.