Skip to Content

Creamy Chicken Soup

September 3, 2024

A creamy chicken soup to warm you right through to the bone.

Categories

homemade creamy chicken soup in a bowl with a spoon served with crusty bread

One Chicken Soup Recipe To Rule All Chicken Soup Recipes

Why is this chicken soup so very excellent? Because it’s creamy! And a little bit dill-y! And, because it’s a TMP chicken soup recipe, it’s Parmesan-y and garlicky! Therefore, it’s extremely extra lovable. Chicken soup is great. We love it. We make it all the time in all of its various forms—classic with noodles, or coconut-y, or with rice, or with white beans—and we love it any which way it’s made. But this creamy chicken soup recipe is our current obsession. The added richness of the milk and butter are just too fantastic. In the colder months, we want things that feel like they’ll really stay with us—warm bowls of creamy, hearty soups we can wrap our cold hands around, bring to our frozen blue lips and sip deeply from to warm from the inside out. This soup hasn’t just been showing up on repeat, it’s on auto-play—it’s easy, comes together quickly and its belovedness is near-universal. Pair it with some crusty bread and hey—dinner’s done.

Shredded chicken, stock, green onions, rice, garlic, carrots and celery for creamy chicken soup in bowls on the counter

Everything You’ll Need To Make This Creamy Chicken Soup Recipe

Just the basics, here! Classic chicken soup ingredient, plus creamy things equals deliciousness. When we say “cooked chicken” we mean all of the meat from a rotisserie chicken OR chicken that you’ve made ahead of time (poached chicken, for example). Here’s everything you’ll need:

  • Onion

  • Carrot

  • Celery

  • Garlic

  • Butter

  • Flour

  • Chicken stock

  • Whole milk

  • Dill

  • Cooked chicken

  • Parmesan

onions, carrots, celery and garlic being cooked in a pot
onions, carrots, celery, garlic butter and flour being cooked in a pot
onions, carrots, celery, garlic butter, flour and chicken broth being stirred in a pot with a wooden spoon
Chicken parmesan cheese, dill, vegetables, for creamy chicken soup in a pot

How Do You Add Richness to Chicken Soup?

That very question is how we ended up here, with this fabulously creamy chicken soup. We wanted to give our favorite soup a little punch-up, and so we turned to the classic, cream-ifying power of a roux! A roux is a classic technique for thickening soups and sauces, and simply refers to the use of fat and flour together—in this case, butter and flour! Whole milk adds plenty of creaminess, too, and voila! A lovely rich and creamy chicken soup.

homemade creamy chicken soup in a pot
homemade creamy chicken soup in a bowl

How To Make Creamy Chicken Soup

Four simple steps and this easy chicken soup is ready to go!

  1. Sauté onions, carrots, celery. Then, after a few minutes, add the garlic.

  2. Roux time! Stir in the butter and flour, then slowly pour in the stock.

  3. Bring the soup base to a boil and simmer for a few minutes until it has thickened a bit.

  4. Stir in the milk, salt, pepper, dill, chicken and Parmesan.

homemade creamy chicken soup in a bowl with a spoon served with crusty bread

Tools You’ll Need

More Chicken Soup Recipes to Try

homemade creamy chicken soup in a pot with a wooden spoon
homemade creamy chicken soup in a bowl with a spoon served with crusty bread

Chicken Soup For The Coldest Days

The homey comfort of a bowl of chicken soup is a must for these wintery days, and this chicken soup recipe is just one of many that we cycle through this time of year. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how you and your family enjoyed it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

💌 Let's Stay Together

There are so many great ways to receive all of our latest recipes, meal tips, and inspiration.

Creamy Chicken Soup

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  25 min
  • Calories:  324

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup
  • 1 medium carrot, diced, 3/4 cup
  • 2 celery ribs, diced, ¾ cup
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, (4 Tbsp)
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1 cup milk, whole milk preferably
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, from a rotisserie or 2 large chicken breasts, poached in water
  • ⅓ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 4 green onions, chopped, for garnish

Method

  1. Add the olive oil to a large stockpot set over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until the carrots and celery are beginning to soften, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.

  2. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter is bubbling, sprinkle in the flour and stir until a thick paste is formed, cooking for about 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the soup is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots and celery are tender, and the soup has thickened about 5 more minutes.

  3. Add the milk, salt, pepper, dill, chicken and Parmesan cheese, stir to combine. Let simmer for a few minutes longer until the chicken is warmed through and the parmesan is fully incorporated.

  4. Serve the soup topped with green onions, extra Parmesan if desired.


NOTE: This soup will keep well in the fridge for a few days and you can definitely freeze it if you’d like to! It’ll keep in the freezer for up to three months. Simply thaw it out in the fridge and gently warm it in a pot on the stove stirring often so that the broth doesn’t separate.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 324
  • Protein 22 g
  • Carbohydrates 13 g
  • Total Fat 19 g
  • Dietary Fiber 2 g
  • Cholesterol 84 mg
  • sodium 416 mg
  • Total Sugars 4 g

Creamy Chicken Soup

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

or
  • johan

    why do recipes call for unsalted butter but you have to ad salt with rest of the ingredients....just curious.
    thanks
    j

    It allows you to control the level of salt in your recipe.

  • Stacey

    Can you add egg noodles to this recipe and if so, how much and will I have to add more chicken stock?

    We haven't tried adding noodles. If you do, we'd suggest cooking them first and then adding as much as desired. If you start adding more stock it will throw off your flavor profile if you aren't adjusting spices as well.

  • Norma

    Can you use leftover turkey in this soup recipe?

    Totally! Hope you enjoy!

  • Megan

    What is the serving size? It only shows how many servings. Would it be a cup?

    Unfortunately we have not calculated exact yield for this recipe.

  • Suzanne

    Can I do this in the instapot?

    Yes, but we haven't tested it to give you exact timings/instructions.

  • Karina

    Great soup - have made it several times now and it hits the spot every time. I add potatoes to make it a bit thicker, but love this.

    SO glad you love it Karina!

  • Karina

    Great recipe. Really delicious soup. I added some potatoes.

    Thanks Karina, glad you loved it!

  • Abby

    Best soup I’ve had in a long time! I use homemade stock, and I feel like that really does something extra. I also subbed dried dill since that’s what I had. But seriously, this has become an instant favorite for my family.

    Thanks Abby, we are so happy your family loved it!

  • Elsa

    Love this chicken soup! I added the creamy baby potatoes to it and oh my soo good! Thank you for a great recipe to add to my favorites.

    Thanks Elsa, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Sarah

    One of my all time favorite chicken soup recipes!! Comforting yet fresh. I usually add mushrooms and peas for extra veggies.

    Thanks Sarah, so happy you love it!