Creamy chicken noodle soup is a perfect way to warm up on a cold day. Plus…you can use your leftover turkey instead of chicken if you want!
All right, friends, Thanksgiving is over. I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday with their families and that you don’t get into any Black Friday fights. We don’t do Black Friday…we abhor crowds and do everything that we can to avoid them unless it is absolutely necessary that we wade into the insanity. I’d much rather stay home and read cookbooks and binge-watch sitcoms on Netflix.
It’s finally starting to get cold here, much to my chagrin. I am not a fan and, for that reason, plan to never live above the Mason-Dixon line. Actually, I plan to never live above the Hamilton-Rhea County line, but whatever. Some of my friends up North have posted on Facebook about snow or extreme temperatures and I’m all “Better you than me.” I’m telling you, I hate the cold.
I will say, though, that cold brings me an excuse to make soup without seeming like a crazy lady, and that’s a good thing (I eat soup year-round, and apparently there are some people that think that isn’t normal). When it’s cold, I try to make soup at least one night a week…we’ll eat it for at least two dinners, often having leftovers for lunch or to put in the freezer as well. That, you guys, is a very good thing.
I’ve made plenty of chicken noodle soup in my years but I’ve honestly never been thrilled with the result. The more I think about it, the more certain I am that it was because chicken noodle soup seems so simple, like you could just throw some chicken and some noodles and perhaps some carrots into a pot full of chicken stock and turn up a great soup. That’s not the case, people. Chicken noodle soup takes some work to build the flavors, to make them complex and not watery. A couple of tries and I had it right with this one, with a little heavy cream thrown in for good measure. Cause you know, that’s how I roll. If you make this creamy chicken noodle soup, you may never make it any other way again!
Yield: 4-5 servings
15 minPrep Time:
35 minCook Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1.5 pounds chicken thighs, trimmed
- salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2-4 carrots, diced (depending on the size)
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken stock
- 2 cups medium egg noodles
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the olive oil in a 6-8 quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper then brown in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the butter to the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. When the butter has melted, add the onions, carrots, and celery, cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and just beginning to brown on the edges. Uncover and add the mushrooms; cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for about one minute to cook out the raw flavor of the flour. Slowly add the chicken stock while stirring to incorporate. Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken back to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and add the noodles to the pot. Cook for the time recommended on the noodle package.
- While the noodles are cooking, shred the chicken with two forks. Add back to the pot. When the noodles have finished cooking, add the milk and heavy cream and stir until fully incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
This soup tastes just as good when served as leftovers, but the noodles will continue to soak up the liquid so it will be more like a pasta dish then a soup when served as leftovers.
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