Creamy Chicken Soup Recipe

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?